The Day job
by BlueWinterMoon
Summary: Katara thinks that she has to do everything for everyone else, just like her mom. Then she meets Zuko, who doesn't let anyone in. She tries to make him see that it's okay to let others help you, while learning the same thing herself. Modern World Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

Well, Sokka was right. I'm sure the others thought the same thing, but didn't want to say anything. Typical bold Sokka.

Sokka had told me that I wouldn't last at Omashu Medical School, but I wouldn't listen. I was too excited. I had always wanted to be a doctor, and that school was one of my best chances. But, I blew it. I just couldn't keep up with the classes.

Sokka had always been a genius. Everything just came easy to him, whereas I was the one always studying, trying to keep up. I mean, I'm pretty smart now, but when we were kids it was like Sokka was always five steps ahead of me, even though he's only one year older.

I sigh as I walk into my apartment, carrying a pile of boxes. I had just finished packing up my office that I rented at OMS. It took longer than expected, but I guess time just slipped from me when while I was balling my eyes out.

As I walk into the small living room, I see my best friend and roommate, Toph Beifong, asleep on the couch.

I love Toph to death, but she sure knows how to make a mess. Wrappers were scattered around the room and there was a half bowl of chips on the coffee table, most likely from last night.

Toph is two years younger than me, and we've been friends for as long as I can remember. She has raven black hair that is always up in a bun, striking green eyes, and pale skin. You also can't forget her "I don't care" attitude. Toph's really pretty, but she thinks otherwise.

I walk over to the couch and shake her arm. "Toph!" I say, trying to wake her up. She opens one eye. "What?"

"It's one in the afternoon!"

"So?"

"So you need to get up!" I say. "You can't just lie around all day and make a mess of this house."

She grunts, wipes her sleepy eyes, and then grabs the remote. She turns the T.V. on and turns the volume up, most likely to drown out my nagging. I roll my eyes and walk into the kitchen.

I open the cupboards, grabbing random ingredients as I go. I have and odd habit of cooking when I'm frustrated. It makes me forget all of my frustration.

Cooking was my mom's favorite thing to do. That, and singing. She made the most wonderful creations that made my mouth water as soon as I walked through the door. She had a real gift. When I was old enough, she taught me everything. I guess it just makes me feel connected to her, now that she's gone.

As I turn around to put the oven on, I see Toph leaning against the door with a big yellow folder in her hand. "What's that?" I ask, nodding to the object in her hand.

"See for yourself" she replies, throwing it onto the wooden dinner table. I walk over and pick it up. I turned it over and looked at the cover.

"Toph!" I squeal. "How did you get this?"

"I know people" she says, a smirk on her face.

The front of the folder had the logo for Ba Sing Sae University, a prestigious college that I had always dreamed of going to. The package had to be a registration form.

I have no idea how she got it, considering it's the middle of the semester. They never let anybody in after classes start. I wonder who Toph knows to be able to get this.

"Just an early birthday present" she says, grinning at my excitement.

"But my birthday isn't for three months!" I reply. My birthday is on December 6th and it's early October.

"I know" she says. I run over and hug her.

"Okay, okay!" she exclaims. "Down Sugar Queen!" I pull away and laugh. Toph isn't really into showing affection through hugs or anything like that. She'd rather punch your arm.

"Thank you" I say. "You're such a good friend. You shouldn't have done this though. I don't deserve it. But thanks. I owe you one." She turns away and mutters something under her breath.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Oh nothing" she replies, walking out of the room. I hear her plop down on the couch and turn the T.V. volume up even more.

I start smiling again as I think of the application to BSSU._ I finally get to live out my dream _I think to myself. _I' m one step closer to becoming a doctor!_

I don't really know what kind of doctor I want to be yet. I love kids, so maybe I could be a pediatrician. Or maybe a surgeon. That would be exciting.

"So many possibilities" I say to myself quietly,grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

A few hours later I look at the clock. It's already 5 o'clock. I can't believe I cooked for that long. _Oh well, it was worth it._

I had made chicken fajitas, vegetable casserole, and my signature fruit salad. To top it of for dessert, I made strawberry cheesecake with my mom's special recipe. I hop I did it justice.

_Flashback_

_ "Mommy" I said, walking into the kitchen. She turns around. "What are you doing?" She smiles. She has the prettiest smile I have ever seen._

_ Her smile wasn't the only pretty thing about her mom. She had long chocolate hair that fell to her waist, tan skin, and piercing blue eyes. She had a heart of gold, too. Always doing things for others._

_ "I'm creating a new recipe" Kya says. "Strawberry cheesecake. Want to help?"_

_I nodded my head excitedly. We spent the next hour creating the dessert._

_ "What's this?" I ask, picking up a round object from the counter._

_ My mom smiled. "That's the secret ingredient. We save that for last." She thought for a moment. "Which is exactly right now. Would you like to put it in?"_

_ "Mhmm" I replied. I stepped on the stool and put the ingredient in. Then I turn around and see my mother gazing at me, pride and love shining in her blue eyes._

_ "One day, Katara," my mother says to me, "you will be a magnificent cook. Better than me even!"_

_ "Really?" I ask. Kya nods. _

_ I then jump off the stool into my mother's awaiting arms for a hug._

_End Flashback_

I smile, remembering one of my fondest memories with my mother. A tear slips from my eye. I miss her so much.

I quickly wipe my eyes as Toph comes through the door.

"Smells great" she says. "When can we eat?"

"As soon as you set the table."

She grumbles and rolls her eyes,but goes to set the table anyways.

I grin smugly at my small victory, but it soon goes away as I hear her comeback.

"You're such a mom."

* * *

After eating a delicious dinner(courtesy of _moi_) I sit down on the couch to watch the news. Toph then comes to join me after finishing the dishes and plops don beside me.

"Ahem" she says, trying to get my attention. I turn my head towards her. In her extended hand is the registration form.

"You better start this" she says. I hesitate to take it.

"I'll do it later."

"Oh no" she says, "you are not going to procrastinate on this one. You will look at this and fill it out even if I have to tie you to a chair and read it to you!"

I don't doubt her threat.

I glare at her but take the folder.

Truth be told, I didn't want to open the folder. Of course I wanted to register to BSSU and get in, but I was scared of what was on those papers. The could easily crush my hope.

I rip the seal and open it. Then I nervously take out the papers and start to read.

I almost faint at what I see.

* * *

A/N: Hey Guys! This is my first fanfic so hope you all like it! Rating is K+ but might go up. It is a modern world Zutara, so sadly there is no bending.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

"Earth to Sugar Queen!" Toph yells at me while poking my head. "Is someone in there?"

I can't believe it. The price to get into BSSU is way to much. I would never be able to pull out that kind of money. I wasn't poor, but I certainly wasn't rich or had tons of money to spare. I did have a college fund, but I used that for OMS.

"It's too much," I say to Toph, shooing her hand away from my head. "I can't pay for it. It's way more money than I have."

She contemplates that for a moment. "Well," she says, "you could always borrow some from me."

I glare at her. "What?" she says. "I'm loaded!"

"No, your parents are loaded. There's a difference. Plus, you already did me a huge favor by getting the application. Maybe I'll get another job."

Toph's parents were some of the richest people in the Earth Kingdom. I've never met them, but she told me that they were very protective of her, being their only child. She finally felt free when she was old enough to move out and start a life on her own, much to their disappointment. I'm really proud of her for sticking up for herself and leaving.

She gives me a "hmph" and turns away.

I actually don't think that getting another job would be that bad. At the moment, I work at an orphanage. I started out as just a volunteer, but the owners decided that they were going to pay me for my hard work. I usually buy food and cook for the kids because the orphanage doesn't have the best budget. Once and awhile I get to play with the kids. They're so polite and kind. It breaks my heart to see them without a family. I wish I could do more for them.

After watching the news a little while longer, I yawn and realize just how tired I am. I turn to Toph, about to bid her a goodnight, but she's already asleep.

I walk down the hallway into the bathroom. I brush my teeth, take out my contacts, and brush my hair, not bothering to look at my reflection in the mirror. I've been doing that a lot lately.

I sluggishly walk to my room. My familiar blue walls greet me as I crawl into bed. I intended to fall asleep quickly, but my mind had other ideas. _What am I going to do? I'll never be able to get the money. I might as well give up on being a doctor and become a waitress. No fancy college classes needed for that._

If only my mom was here. She would know exactly what to say. _Why mom? Why did it have to go? Can't you see how much I need you?_

Sleep envelops me then, before I can wipe away the tear rolling down my cheek.

* * *

I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing. I groan and try hard to ignore it, but it keeps ringing nonstop for five minutes. In the end, the phone won and I picked it up.

"Hello?" I said groggily.

"Jeez sis, you could answer your phone once in awhile," a familiar voice says.

I instantly perk up. "Sokka!" I say loudly.

"The one and only," he replies.

"How are you? Hows Suki? Was your trip-" I start, but then I hear a knock on the door. "Sokka hold on a moment there's someone at the door."

I walk to the door, open it, and find my brother standing at the door, holding his phone up to his ear. "It's fine," he says. "I can wait."

"Sokka!" I yell again, this time louder. I run out the door and hug him. Well, more like tackle him. My outburst causes him to drop his phone onto the hardwood floor.

"_Shit" _

"Sokka," I scold, "don't swear"

He shrugs and enters my apartment. It's then that I notice the second person in the doorway.

"Suki!" I greet her. "How are you?

The auburn haired girl smiles and pulls me in for a hug. "I'm great!" she says enthusiastically.

We pull away and walk into the apartment. I look down at myself and cringe when I realize that I'm still in my clothes from yesterday. I excuse myself quickly and run to my room. I change into jeans and a T-shirt, and brush my hair. Smoothing out my shirt and hoping that I look presentable, I join my everyone else in the living room. When I get there, they are already sitting down, conversing. They look up as I enter the room.

"So how was the trip?" I asked my brother and his girlfriend while sitting down on the couch next to Toph.

They had left about a month ago to go and visit Suki's parents. They lived on a small island called Kyoshi, where Suki grew up. I was very surprised to see them here. They weren't supposed be back for another week. They usually try to spend as much time as they can there. Kyoshi is pretty far away from Ba Sing Sae, so she rarely gets to see them anymore.

"Fabulous" Sokka says sarcastically. "I really hit it off with Suki's parents this time."

"What did you do, Snoozles?" Toph asks. This should be good.

"It was an accident" he says, frowning. "Suki's dad and I went fishing, and he got a fish hook stuck in his thumb. So I used another one to try and get it out, but it got stuck. Then, I tried to pull them both out at the same time, but he just ended up bleeding all over me."

We all burst out laughing as he finished his story, but he was still frowning. "I'm positive they hate me now," he says holding his head between his hands..

"No, Honey, they love you. Who wouldn't?" says Suki, kissing him on the cheek. Toph and I look at each other, making gagging faces.

"Anyway," Sokka says, turning to Toph, "I need to talk to you. Privately."

Toph raises an eyebrow but says nothing. They both get up and Toph directs him to the hallway. Leaving me alone in the room with Suki. _I wonder what he needs to talk to her about._

I turn to Suki. "How are your parents?" I ask.

"They're good. They really do like Sokka, even though he can be an...idiot at sometimes," she replies.

I remain silent. Awkward silence begins to set in. "You seem really happy," I say to her quietly.

"I am," she replies.

The awkwardness is back again. I get up and start towards the kitchen. "You want anything?" I ask my brother's girlfriend, who was looking uninterestedly out the window. "Just a water, please," she says.

I pass the hallway on my walk to the kitchen. I hear little snippets of my brother and best friend's conversations.

"...telling you...he's back..."

"Is...coming here?"

"...think so..."

"...can't tell Katara!"

My heart is racing as I keep walking towards the kitchen. I glance back at the hallway suspiciously._ Who's back? And why can't they tell me? _I grab Suki's water and walk back out. Toph and Sokka are back in the living room, sitting down. They eye me nervously as I sit down, like I found out about a huge secret. We sit in silence.

From the corner of my eye I could see Toph studying me, no doubt to try and see if I might be behaving differently. I try to look as normal as possible. Normal for me, anyways.

Toph studies body language and other non verbal communication. I think that when she finishes school she wants to work for the police department and interrogate criminals. Definitely something she would want to do. She does all of the little things, like seeing where your eyes go when you talk or if your voice changes. She's _very_ good at it. The downside is that she can also tell if you are lying. That's not the bad part, though. The bad part is when she calls you out on it. It makes you feel very stupid.

"Anything you want to tell me?" I ask Sokka,breaking the silence.. He gets all flustered and starts to blush. He quickly glances at Toph and I swear I saw her shake her head. He opens his mouth but say nothing. I raise an eyebrow.

"Nope. Not at all," he says quickly. I know he's lying. He always gets this stupid look on his face when he's hiding something.

Toph then changes the subject. "Did Katara tell you she's gonna go to BSSU?" she asks Sokka and Suki.

"Katara," Sokka starts, "that's great! When did you-"

"I'm not officially in," I interrupt, "Toph just got me a registration form. Which I still have no idea how she managed to get."

Sokka smirks. "I bet she got it from Teo," he says.

"Teo?" I say. "Who's Teo?" I am very confused at the moment.

"Oh?" Sokka says. "She didn't tell you about her _dear_ Teo? He waggles his eyebrows.

"What the _hell, _Sokka," Toph says angrily. I think she's actually_ blushing_ too. "I thought we made an agreement-"

"Would someone please tell me who he is?" I say angrily, and quite loudly. I hate feeling out of the loop.

"Just some guy I met," Toph mumbles.

"Not just some guy," my brother says. "I saw them in a club, having a very...intimate moment. So I looked him up. Has a lot of connections, that guy. Pretty wealthy. You scored a good one there Toph," he says, grinning.

Toph is fuming by now. I've never seen her so angry in my life. She's clenching her hands so tight, I think the might break the skin with her nails. I don't know why she is so mad. This guy doesn't sound so bad. Good for her if she got herself a boyfriend.

I touch her arm. "Calm down, Toph," I say in a soothing voice. "He was just joking."

"I know," she say, putting on a devilish grin. "I can't wait for my revenge."

I laugh as I glance at Sokka. I've never seen him so scared in my life.

We sit in my apartment, catching up and joking with each other for a long time. It was really great. I miss those days when my family was together. We could spend hours just sitting in silence, enjoying each other company. My brother and I would play cards while our parents sat there, watching us. It was like we didn't have a care in the world. Then things changed, and all I'm left to do is reminisce them.

I knew I was lucky when I was little. I had a roof over my head and a family who loved and cared for me. We didn't always have a lot, but we still had each other.

"Isn't that right Katara?" I hear Sokka say, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I say, dazed.

"Exactly." He starts laughing. "She's always doing that," he directs at the others.

Pretty soon they're all laughing again, this time at me. Before I say something stupid and embarrass myself, the door bell rings. I get up to go answer it wondering if I'll got any other surprise visitors today. As I open the door and look at the person standing there, I'm rendered speechless.

There, in the hallway, is Aang.

So _this_ is what Sokka wanted to be a surprise.

I'm going to kill him.

* * *

**A/N: Eh, not my favorite chapter. These first ones are just mainly Katara's life. Th Zutara comes a bit later on.**

**I changed the rating to T, just for some language.**

**Before I forget (Which i will) here are the ages.**

**Aang/Toph- 21 Katara- 22 Sokka/Suki- 24 Zuko/ Jet- 25**

**Oh, and if some of you didn't catch this, Toph is not blind!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

"Hi Katara," Aang say with a small smile.

I can't believe it. Aang is back. After 2 months, he's finally back.

I'm too shocked to say anything. Aang walk forward and pulls me into a quick hug. I pull away first. He moves toward the living room where the other are as I stand there and gather my thoughts.

I study him as he walks way from me. He hasn't changed much. Same orange sweatshirt that I used to wear sometimes, same tattoos he got on his 18th birthday, and the same bright gray eyes that don't seem to age at all.

Aang had left without any notice. Nobody knew where he was. He is usually traveling around the world helping people in need, but this time was different. He usually tells us where he's going to be and when he will come back. Suddenly, I'm furious. He couldn't even tell _me _where he was? I'm his best friend!

I follow him into the living room with my hands clenched at my sides. I see everyone look at Aang in surprise and then immediately jump up to greet him. _How can they do that? Let him disappear without a trace and then open him back with open arms!_

"Aang!" Sokka says, "Where'd you go man?"

"Western Earth Kingdom," Aang says. "I helped some homeless kids there."

Normally, I would be ecstatic about his trip, but I'm too angry. I still can't believe he didn't say anything.

"How was it?" asked Toph.

"Great! We brought gifts along to bring all of them. They loved it! We also played-"

"Why didn't you tell us?" I ask, venom coating my words. I'm not in the mood to hear about his shenanigans with the children. I want answers.

Toph caught onto my anger quickly. "Katara, save the questions for later. Aang just got back. Let us catch up." I knew she was serious. She never really calls me by my name, unless she really wants me to listen.

"Yeah, sis," says Sokka,"give the guy a break."

"No!" I shout. "I want answers! I want to know where the _hell _he's been for the past two months!"

"Maybe we should talk this over in the kitchen," Aang says. I stomp towards the kitchen and he follows. After we both walk in, he closes the door.

"Katara, listen-

"No Aang, you listen," I snap. "How dare you leave without telling any of us. I don't care if it was for one of your 'saving the world' projects. You had no right!" I know that was pretty harsh, but I had to let out my feelings that had been caged in for these past months.

"But think about the kids-"

"Think about the kids! What about _me_! How could you do that to me?"

"That's just it," he snaps. "Not everything is about you! You aren't my mom. I don't have to tell you everything." I stay silent, trying to look at anything but him.

"We can still continue where we left off," he says, this time softer. It doesn't take me long to figure out what he's talking about."We can-"

"No," I say quickly. "Any feelings I had for you before you left are gone." I can feel tears forming in my eyes.

I look at him after I said that. He's clearly heartbroken. But he deserves it. Two months can change things. I know that he doesn't have to be glued to my side, but I care about him. I don't want him to get hurt.

He walks out without saying a word. I can hear commotion in the other room. Suddenly, Toph bursts through the door. "What did you _say_?" she hisses.

"I simply told him that I was hurt about what he did. I might have said I don't have feelings for him any-"

"You what?" she screeches. Her hands flew up in the air dramatically. "Why would you say that? Did you see how much you hurt him?"

"He hurt me too!" I say. "Two months, Toph. _Two months._ Things change."

I have no idea why _she _is so upset over this. "This is between Aang and me, Toph.  
Stay out of it." I say.

Her face starts to get red. I know I chose the wrong choice of words. _Oh boy, _I think. _Here we go. _To my surprise, she doesn't say anything. She just walks out of the room. I wince when she slams the door.

I grip the counter tightly, making my knuckles go white. I didn't wan to break Aang's heart, but what I said was true. The feelings that I had for him were gone. While he was off playing with children, I let go, believing he wasn't going to come back. It was hard, but I did it. Now he's back and wants to pick up where we left off, but I can't. Not after what I went through.

I stay in the kitchen, listening to the group in the other room. Awhile later, when I've decided that _all _of my surprise guests have left, I go back out. I try not to look at Toph, and don't bother to say anything, even though I can tell she wants to talk. Instead, I walk straight to the door, grab my keys, and walk out. Maybe a drive around town will clear my head.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

I was sitting on the couch, reading as Toph comes through the door holding the mail. I give her a hopeful look. She grins and waves a white envelope in the air. I jump up and grab it from her hand. I sloppily open it, ripping the paper to shreds. My eyes scan the letter and I let out a whoop in delight.

_Miss Katara Kuruk,_

_ We are happy to tell you that you have been accepted into Ba Sing Se University. We do not usually allow students in after the term starts, but you were an exception. Your exceptional grades and good records showed that you are a hardworking, dedicated student. We would be proud to have you at our school._

_ -Ba Sing Se University School board_

"I got in! I got in!" I say and crush Toph into a tight hug. The day after Aang's surprise visit, Toph and I talked. I told her how I felt, and she understood completely. She was still a little mad about Aang's unhappiness, but I was just glad we had made up.

Even though the letter said I got in because of my good record, I know that was probably only part of the reason. I 'm sure that Toph's meddling played a bigger part.

"That's great," she says, and I knew it was sincere. Glancing at the paper again, I saw that I was to start classes on Monday, which was only two days away. _I have to get ready! There's so much to do!_

I suddenly got butterflies in my stomach. _What if I can't do it? What if I fail _again_?_

Pushing all negative thoughts from my mind, I go search for everything I will need. I run to my room to find my backpack. I'll also need new notebooks, folders, and writing materials, I guess I have some shopping to do. As I scan my desk for some paper to make a list, my laptop dings. The screen says that a video chat has been requested.

I smile, looking at the name of the person who had asked to chat. I sit down and click 'accept'.

The screen goes black for a moment, and then a face appears. I stare at the tan skin and dark hair, while blue eyes just a bit darker than mine stare back.

"Dad!" I squeal.

"Katara!" he says. "How's my baby girl?" I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the 'baby girl' remark.

"I'm great Dad, But how are you? Is everything okay?" I ask, concerned. They never let him have internet access when he's on call. He's obviously somewhere else at the moment.

My dad is in the Water Tribe military. He's actually a pretty high ranked and well respected general. He's away a lot, and I only get to see him about once every four months, if he can manage the trip. He spends most of the time training the new recruits instead of fighting, since he is one of the most experienced soldiers. But he does get called away on a mission one in awhile, leaving me to worry about him.

"Everything's fine," he says, chuckling. "I'm in the South Pole at the moment. There hasn't been much action lately, so I was allowed to go on a short leave."

I smile. Oh, how I miss the South Pole! I wish I could be there with him now, but I have to stay so I can start my classes. I know that his 'short leaves' are never actually

"That's great. Does that mean that you're with gran-gran?

He's about to answer, but another voice beats him to it. _"You bet I am!" _I hear from behind him. We both laugh and shake our heads.

"Anyways," I continue, "I have some good news! I enrolled into Ba Sing Se University and got in!" _With Toph's help _I added silently to myself.

"That's wonderful, honey!" He says. " I'm so proud of you." His face gets somber. "I know that your mother would be too," he adds softly.

I know that Mom's death affected him just as greatly as it did me. I can remember hearing his sobs at night in the South Pole, when he thought nobody was awake. We never really spoke of Mom much after that. The emotional wounds were too deep.

I give a small smile and nod. "You're starting to look just like her, too," he says. He studies me and frowns. "Where is the necklace?" he asks me.

I bite my lip nervously. "I took it off so I could fix the strap," I lie. The blue necklace is actually sitting in a drawer by my bedside, but I would never tell him that.

When he gave me the necklace after Mom died, I wore I whenever I was in his presence. He gave it too her when he proposed, and she wore it everyday and I never saw her with it off. I think he wanted me to do the same. When I moved out, I took at off for long periods of time, laying it in my hand while staring at it. After I while, I just kept it off. I just couldn't wear it.

Obviously noticing my discomfort but not saying anything, he moves on to a different topic.

"How's Aang?" he asks cheerfully.

I freeze. That's another thing that he doesn't know about. I never told him that Aang left. I didn't want him to worry about me.

"He's good," I say. Another lie. I admit that I'm scared at how easy it is for me lie nowadays, and to my father no less.

"Has he-" my father starts, but gets interrupted, leaving me to wonder what he was gonna ask.

My grandmothers face suddenly appears on the screen. "Hello? _Hello? _Katara, honey, can you hear me?" she practically screams.

"Yes gran-gran," I say in exasperation. Sokka really needs to teach her how computers work the _right _way. I don't exactly appreciate getting my eardrums blown out every time I try to talk to her via video chat.

We talk for a bit, me telling her about life in the Earth Kingdom, and her telling me the latest gossip from back home. She's always wanted to come visit me here, but she's so old and frail that nobody think she could make the trip.

"You behaving?" she asks me sometime later with a grin. "No chasing after boys?"

_"Definitely not! Besides, she's with Aang." _I hear my father say from somewhere behind her.

I must have looked tense, because when my grandmother looked at me again, she raised an eyebrow. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but was stopped when she she started coughing.

She continues to cough for awhile, and I instantly got worried. "Gran," I said, "are you okay?"

She dismissed my question with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine," she says between wheezes. I let my worry go. It's pretty easy to catch a cold in the South Pole, seeing as it's always chilly.

"Well," I say, "I better go. I have to go to work, and then go pick up some supplies for my classes."

"Oh yes!" she says. "I overheard you saying that you got into that lovely little college! I wish you luck! Love you!" She blows me a kiss through the screen. The last thing I hear before I turn the computer screen off is _"Hakoda! What am I supposed to do _now_?"_ I burst out laughing at that.

I was still laughing as I left the apartment to start my chores at the orphanage.

* * *

**A/N: Clearly, Katara has some anger issues...we'll work on that.**

dyingimmortal**: First, I just have to say thanks so much for reviewing not just one, but _both _of my chaptersso far. It really means a lot. So thanks! Onto the question...This story is set in the Avatar world, but they have everything that we have today. Cars, cell phones, Ipads...the like. All of the cities and everything are exactly the same, just more modern than in the show.**

GreenPhoenix3**: Thank you! That is a big thing for me in this story; The characters behaving and acting like how they truly and originally are. I try to take everything into consideration from their mannerisms and quirks to how they react to certain things around them. I hope I can keep it up throughout the rest of the story. I hope you like it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

I wake up early on Monday. I'm so excited for school. It's the first day jitters all over again.

Wanting to look good for my first day, I put on a long sleeved blue shirt, dark blue scarf, a pair of cute jeans, and boots that make me look taller. I put my wavy hair up into a high pony tail, letting my bangs fall to the side of my face.

I run to the kitchen to grab something quick for breakfast, noticing that Toph already left for the day. I grab a jacket and run out the door.

I didn't need a map to get to BSSU because I found out the night before that it was surprisingly close to where my apartment was. As I was driving, I passed the orphanage.

I remember my shift from two days ago. As soon as I had gotten out of my car I heard the sound of children. They are a very rambunctious group. When I walked in, they all run to the door to greet me, immediately asking what I was going to make for them to eat that day.

Lena, who runs the orphanage, then shoos the kids away before they can jump on me. Lena, is a kind, selfless woman. She loves every single one of the kid like they are her own. I am the only person who knows why she started the orphanage in the first place. Lena isn't able to have kids, so she likes to think of the orphans as her own. She must trust me a lot, because I know that she's never told any of the other volunteers that.

Before I know it, I'm in the school parking lot. I sit for a moment, staring at the school. Huge is an understatement for this place.

It's a very beautiful school, with bright green grass surrounding grounds and flowers everywhere. There also seems be a garden behind it.

I check the time, and I'm not late. I grab my massive book bag and head inside the school. Waking in, I can immediately point out the cliques. They all are so different, but the one thing that they have in common is that they are all staring at me, clearly out of place. It's just like high school all over again. I walk down a massive hall, decorated with paintings of past headmasters, and find myself in a large sitting room, filled with students._ Man, there are tons of people at this school!_

I look at my printed out schedule, looking at my first class that starts in about 10 minutes. Biology, with Mr. Bumi in room 206. That must be on the second floor, so I better hurry. As I round the corner to get to the next hallway, I slam into something. _Hard. _I look up and realize that it wasn't a _something_, but a _someone._

A guy looks down at me, smiling. He has dark brown eyes and equally dark brown hair. He's actually kind of cute. He must be really tall, because I feel very short next to him, even with my heeled boots.

"Hey-" he starts to say, but I interrupt.

"Where's room 206?" I ask quickly. I _need _to be there on time.

"Oh, um, down the hall, up the stairs, and to the left," he says.

"Great. Thanks!" I say, dashing down the hall. I might have to look for him later. He seemed nice. Too bad I didn't get a name.

I burst into the classroom, clearly the last one there. I blush, and walk towards the nearest empty seat.

We all sit there, nobody talking. Minutes pass, and pretty soon everyone is getting antsy. We're all wondering the same thing. Where is the Professor.

Just then, a figure bursts through the door. It's a man, clearly old, with snow white hair on the sides of his head with a beard to match. Strangely, he's wearing long green robes, but the most startling thing of all was his hat. If you would even call it a hat. Long horns, each about 3 feet long, come out from the side. What is going on with this man?

He doesn't greet the class. Instead he walks towards the front of the room and starts talking. From listening to this man, he is clearly crazy. He talks fast, leaving all of the students taking notes to scribble furiously on their papers, trying to keep up with him. He's a good teacher, but clearly has lost a few marbles in his days. I hear people whispering behind me, calling him a mad genius. _More mad than genius,_ I think silently.

When the class ends and hour later, I'm the last one left. As I'm about to walk out the door, I hear _"Miss Kuruk, is it?"_

I slowly turn around. Professor Bumi is sitting crossed legged on his desk, his hands up in the air, as if meditating.

"Yes," I reply. "Katara Kuruk."

He nods his head. "You must be the student who was let in just a few weeks ago."

He studies me. "Yes," I say. " I just transferred from another school. How did you know?"

"It was very hard, you see. I walked in and looked around the room, and noticed a young lady whom I have never seen or met before." He starts laughing after he says that.

I blush at my own idiocy. Of course I'd be noticeable. It the middle of the semester!

He clearly finds himself hilarious, because he is still cackling away. I turn and walk towards the door silently, hoping to make a quick getaway. I'm just out of the door when I hear his voice.

"Oh, and Miss Kuruk?"

I take a step back and clear my throat. "Yes?"

"Make sure to keep your brain open to all possibilities."

He laughs again as I walk out of the room for good._ Yep, _I think. _Clearly mad._

I'm back on the first floor, thinking about what Mr. Bumi told me. _"Make sure to keep your __brain open to all possibilities." _Crazy, old man! What does it mean?

I walk through the hallways making random turns until I come to two big doors at the end of the hallways. Feeling adventurous, I push them open. I'm at awe from what I see inside.

Books. Thousands of books. It must be the library. I walk forward, going past shelves all filled with a variety of reading material. It's amazing.

I walk around for a bit, looking through sections to find something that appeals to me. I find the romance section, and practically run to it. I'm a real sucker for a good love story.

I round the shelf and-for the second time that day- I run into a person. The force of the impact must have been great, because I found myself on my back on the floor, with a body on top of me.

"We have to stop meeting like this," a voice says, clearly amused. I faintly recognize it. I tilt my head and look at the face of the person on top of me. Brown eyes.

It's the boy that I ran into in the hallway. _How embarrassing. I must seem like such a klutz._

I blush as he climbs off of me and holds a hand out to help me up. I let him pull me up.

We stand there, looking at each other for a moment. I break the stare and start to stutter.

"Oh, uh, um..I'm really sorry about running into you. _Twice _actually-"

He holds a hand up to stop me. "It's fine, but I'm going to need a name in repayment," he says with a smile. A really _cute_ smile.

"Oh! Katara. My name's Katara," I say holding out a hand.

He grabs my hand and shakes it. "Jet," he says, drawing out the name slowly. I blush again.

"So, are you new here?' he asks, leaning against a book shelf.

"Yeah, I just transferred."

"Interesting. Usually that's not allowed. I guess you're special."

He looks me up and down as he says that. I flush even more.

"Well, I've got to go," I say. "See you around?"

"Definitely," he says, giving me a final glance and a nod before walking away.

* * *

I went to my second class of the day, one that had a teacher that _wasn't _insane.

When class was let out, I decided to go explore some more, wanting to be well acquainted with the school. I mentally memorize the hallways and rooms, and every turn I take.

I feel myself being pulled back to the amazing library. My hands itched to get a good book. Deciding that I was done exploring, I made my way back to large room filled with thousands of books.

I look around the room at the other students. The library seemed to be a popular place. Almost every table was filled up with groups of people, all of them reading or writing notes down. I instantly felt a wave of pride come over me from being able to be among the ranks of these dedicated students. After all, this school _was _the best.

I made my way through the aisles of wooden shelves, as I found just what I was looking for. Cookbooks! I gleefully picked one up, opened it and turned pages, looking for new recipes.

As I engrossed myself in reading, I didn't notice the figure that leaned against the the shelf just to my right.

"Can't stay away from the food, can you Sugar Queen?"

I jump and drop the book. "Jesus, Toph, do you have to do that?"

She shrugs. "It's not my fault you scare so easily."

I lean down to pick up the book while rolling my eyes. I look at her in confusion. "How did you get in here? You don't go to this school."

"This place isn't just for the school's use." she says. "I thought that the people who looked like they were over 50 would have told you that much." I could hear the _duh_ in her voice.

I looked away and scanned the building for a second time, and sure enough, I saw some people who _clearly_ didn't go to school here.

"Whatever," I say. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" she says, mocking hurt. "I can't visit my best friend while while she wastes her time reading cookbooks? _Especially_ in a library?"

"No, you can't. Plus, you hate books."

"Alright, fine. Truth is, I got a call from Aang. He wants to meet up for lunch. He says that he _really _wants to talk to you."

"Well _I _don't want to talk to him," I snarl.

She holds her hands up in front of her in self defense. "Hey," she says, "don't shoot the messenger. Besides, I think it would be good for everyone if you would just let him explain."

"I don't want to talk to him," I repeat. I plucked a few more books of the shelf and moved to a table in the corner of the library. I roughly sat down in a cushioned seat while Toph followed suit.

We sit in silence for a moment. Then: "Please, just give him another chance,"she says gently.

This surprises me. I don't understand why Toph is so concerned about all of this. It's mine and Aang's business. Ours alone.

"You're not Aang's only best friend. I am too. We all are. And friends don't like seeing each other hurt." I thought I heard a bit of distaste at the word 'friends', but I didn't think much of it.

We are both silent again. I think about what she said. Maybe I'm overreacting. _No, I'm not. He deserves it, _I think to myself, but I'm still filled with the awful sense of guilt.

"I met someone today," I blurt out. _Way to go, Katara. That was a _real _subtle way of changing the subject._

"Oh?" she says, a sly grin forming on her lips. She leans forward on her elbows. "Well," she says, "tell me about him. Was he cute?"

I instantly went into girl mode, explaining in great detail what Jet looked like.

"So," She says, "you like him?"

I sigh. "I don't know. He seemed a bit full of himself. And I don't know if now would be the best time to start relationship, considering..." I trailed off. We both knew very well what I was talking about, but neither of us wanted to go down _that _route again right now.

She gives me a quick nod in understanding, and then stands up. "I've got to go," she says but doesn't tell me any reason why.

She starts to walk away, but turns her head to give me a hard look. "Really, though,"  
she says, "at least give what I said a thought." And with that, she walks away, leaving me in silence with my precious recipes.

* * *

**A/N: Questions? Comments? Concerns? Hate it? Love it? Sick of my comments? Yeah, me too...See you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Before I knew it, a whole week of classes had gone by. Mr. Bumi was still as strange that first day, and I spent most of my free time in the library. I checked out a bunch of cookbooks, and tried out a few of the dishes. Lets just say that Toph some _very _interesting meals this week.

I hadn't been to the orphanage all week. Even though I was very busy with my classes, I still felt guilty. I made a commitment to those kids and I intend to keep it.

I pull into the parking lot and got out. I smiled as I heard the distinct sound of children. When I got to the door, there were already a few of them waiting there for me. They quickly pushed it open to let me in.

"Katara!" They all shout and run to hug me. I laugh as I am swarmed by kids, their tiny arms wrapping around my legs.

I try to walk forward, but the group of kids clinging to me renders me immobile. I see Lena, the owner of the orphanage, walking towards me. She laughs at my current situation and shoos the kids away from me. I gratefully thank her.

"How are you Lena?" I ask.

She gives a small sigh but smiles. "As long as the kids are fine, so am I."

I can tell that she's exhausted. Keeping 30 kids in line every single day isn't the easiest thing to do, even with a couple employees.

She's about to say something else, but the kids interrupt. "What'cha gonna make for lunch today, Katara? asks a little boy named Kami.

I shouldn't pick favorites, but Kami is special to me. He came from the Southern Water Tribe, just like me. His parent were killed by a bear, leaving him an orphan. Unlike the Northern Water Tribe, the southern one is small, and sadly nobody would adopt him. The only option was to send him to the Earth Kingdom in hopes he would find a family there. He hasn't had much luck yet, but he's such a great kid that I know there is still hope.

I think that it's a bit hard for him here. All of the other kids have features normal for residents of the Earth Kingdom, with their dark eyes and light hair. But Kami is clearly not from here, with his dark hair, tan skin, and blue eyes. I know it help, though, to have me here, to have someone that looks like he does.

I smile and drop down to his level. "Is that what I'm supposed to do? I thought you were going to make lunch for us today." I joke with him.

He smiles and shakes his head. "Nuh uh. You gotta make it. I'm too little."

"Well in that case," I tap him on the nose, "I'll go start it now."

He gives me a huge grin. I ruffle his brown hair as I stand up and make my way to the kitchen. "Katara?" Lena says as I almost make it to the door. I turn around.

"I need to talk to you. Later. In my office." I raise my eyebrow, but don't say anything. Then I nod and push my way into the large gray room.

Something about Lena's tone made it seem like it was important. I push it out of my mind for later, and start to work on the hard task of making a meal for all o those kids. I was thinking of making something big, but decided against it, knowing the kids were hungry and and were starting to get restless. _Oh well, _I thought, going into the pantry an grabbing boxes, _you can never go wrong with mac and cheese. _

* * *

Two hours later, I serve the cheesy noodles to the kids (with help, of course) and made my way to Lena's office after I had cleaned up.

I make my way down the hallway, stopping at the last door on the end and knocking. I hear a 'come in' and push open the door. I walk into the small green room and find Lena sitting at her desk with her hands folded in front of her. _Uh oh_, I think, _this doesn't look good._

She smiles at me and gestures to the chair across from her. "Please, take a seat."

I do as she says and sit down in the black chair. I look at her in confusion. "I was hoping we could talk about...our current arrangement." she says and looks me in the eyes.

I was still confused. "You mean, me working here?" I ask, worried. She nods.

"You know how much I appreciate your help, but with this place growing and you skipping out on your job lately-"

I suddenly catch on. "Wait," I say," is this about me going to school?" She doesn't say anything, but the look on her face confirms it.

"I know I haven't been around a lot lately, but I come when I can. You know how much getting into that school meant to me. It was my second chance."

"I know," she says, "but sometimes it's not enough. I need-"

"Please," I interrupt, "don't fire me. The kids mean so much to me. Plus this is the only job I have. I need the money to pay off the loans."

I wouldn't take money from Toph for my school fund, so I took some loans from the bank. This job was the only was I could pay it off.

She purses her lips. I look at her, a pleading look in my eyes. "Fine," she says. "I will allow you to stay while I think about it. That's all." I take my leave, but stop before I reach the door and turn around.

"Thank you," I say. "I won't let you down. I promise." And with that I leave the orphanage.

* * *

I spend the rest of the afternoon driving around Ba Sing Se, scoping out all of the shops and restaurants. I turned down a road lined with boutiques, and immediately parked next to the side walk. I deserved a bit of shopping.

I didn't really buy anything, only window shopped, occasionally stopping to go inside of a store.

I eventually come to a strange looking shop on the corner of one street. The window said _Aunt Wu's _with a crystal ball under it. Feeling bored, I decided to take look inside.

The old door chimes when I push it open. I could immediately tell that this place belongs to a fortune teller. Sheets of black were draped on all of the walls while the shelves held decks of tarot cards and figurines for sale. Pictures of disfigured people decorated the walls. A small table with two chairs sat in the corner, a large crystal ball sitting in the center. Overall, the shop was downright creepy.

The wooden floor creaks as I walk towards a shelf. Books of spells that were dusty sat upon it, along with bottles that i could only assume were potion. I reached out to pick one up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I almost drop the small glass bottle. I spin around to face the person who was now sitting in one of the chairs near the table.

It was an old woman, with graying hair that held an odd gold head piece on it. She was also wearing loud yellow robes that reached to her feet, red lipstick, and bright purple eye shadow. This must be Aunt Wu.

She turns to me then. "Would you like your fortune read?" she asks in an odd voice.

I stand there, trying to gather my bearings. I finally had the decency to shake my head no. At the moment, I just really wanted to get out of this creepy place

She continues, studying me. "What is your name, my dear?"

"K-Katara," I answer.

She gives me a look. "Well don't just stand there, child. Come sit down." I slowly make my way across the room and sit down in the chair across from her.

"You must be Mrs. Wu," I say.

She give a small smile. "Call me Aunt Wu, please. I haven't been Mrs. Wu since my husband passed away."

My fear turns into sympathy. "I'm so sorry," I say, giving my condolences.

She waves her hand. "Enough about me, now, and onto you. May I look at your hands?" I nod and hold them out to her.

She studies them quietly for a moment. "Ah," she finally says," you have had a great deal of sorrow in your life. Am I correct?

"Yes," I say. "My mother died when I was younger."

She nods. "And it has only made you stronger."

Aunt Wu goes on, reading my hand and telling me things to look out for. I thought it was interesting, because she did not once touch on my love life. Isn't that what brings people to fortune tellers? So they can be told they will have a great romance in store for them? I ask her this.

"I could tell you about it, but finding out for yourself would be the biggest reward of all," she says. She doesn't elaborate.

When she finishes reading my palms, we say our goodbyes. The last thing that she says to me is "Good things are in your future, child. I can feel it."

_Yeah, right_ I think as I walk out the door and back into the bustling city.

* * *

I meander for a bit longer, street after street until I come to a plaza. It's shaped like a square, the ground made of cobblestone. In the center of the plaza, though, was a large fountain. It was circled by lampposts all the way around. Benches were scattered around, along with some shrubbery. It was very beautiful, and I could only imagine how it looked at night with the lamps lighting it up.

I then scan the shops, all neatly lined up. A large building immediately catchet my eye. Large groups of people came in and out. It seems to be a popular place.

I slowly walk towards it, passing the fountain. I stop to get a closer look. The fountain was skillfully made, water flowing off each of the tiers like mini waterfalls. I look at the pool in base and saw the coins everywhere. I smile at that. The fountain _did _seem like a magical wishing well that could make your dreams come true. I look around, then dug inside my purse. I pull out a penny, and close it in my fist. Then I turn around, close my eyes, make a wish, and then throw the piece of copper over my head. I hear it drop in with a small _splash_.

I start to walk towards the building again. As I get closer I could read the sign on tap of it. _Uncle Iroh's _it said. It seems like a nice place, so I decide to check it out.

As I walk through the double doors, a strong smell hit me. It was bitter, with a vaguely earthy scent like dead leaves and a citrus-y undertone. It fit though, seeing as this place was green, a common color seen in shops in the Earth Kingdom, with little splashes of other colors here and there.

I look around and see that _Uncle Iroh's _wasn't really a shop at all. It was a grocery store. Aisles of produce lined the sides and back with shelves crowded in the middle. The store was filled with people, all stocking up on the latest deals.

I walk forward and notice even _more _people coming out of an opening in the wall. Curious, I make my way towards it and push my way through the people.

I end up into another room, this one smaller than the other. A long green rug with gold dragons on it parted the middle of it it. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, glowing faintly, while the walls were filled with sketches of all sorts. Wooden tables were placed all over the room, most of them filled with people. The back wall held the cash registers, the front case filled with breads and pastries.

I guess that the two places were owned by the same person, because there was nothing that showed otherwise. It was quite a place, and obviously made good money. I leave the room to go back to the grocery store, making a mental note to come back sometime and buy something.

I give once last glance around and started to walk to the exit when my phone rang. I looked at the caller and with a small sigh flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Hey sis. How's it going."

I hadn't talked to Sokka since the day he visited. I knew he was worried about me, because I had refused to answer his calls before this. I didn't really want to hear what he had to say about Aang.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Good. But I was wondering if Suki and I could maybe come over for dinner, if you don't mind. You know, family bonding."

I sigh again, getting frustrated. "Sokka, I know you don't believe in family dinners for 'bonding'. What do you really want? Just spit it out." I said bitterly.

"I'm worried about you Katara. I haven't seen you all week and you've been avoiding my calls."

I stay silent. "Please," he says softly. "I don't want what happened with Aang to come between us."

_I don't either,_ I want to say, but instead: "Fine. Be there at 7. See ya."

"Thanks...Love you, sis."

"...Love you, too." And with that, I hang up.

I'm about to walk out, but then realize that I have to cook for my brother and his girlfriend, and know I have to get more groceries. With a groan, I grab a plastic shopping basket and make my way though the aisles.

I walk through the produce, picking out vegetables as I go. Sokka eats _a lot, _so I'm going to need a bunch of stuff. I walk towards the back, searching for something that Sokka would like. Which really, is anything. Then, I find exactly what I'm looking for. Sea food.

Being from the Water Tribes, Sokka and I have and intense love for anything fish. Because really, that's the main thing to eat back home. Water Tribe cuisine always contains some sort of fish or meat from an arctic animals.

I pick out a bit of everything, knowing that I would use it all. Food from back home was hard to resist. Especially the way mom used to make it.

Stopping myself before I buy it all, I move on. I walk to the right to the dairy products sitting in the shelf coolers. I briefly scan, not finding really anything that really appeals to me. I bend down to pick out a gallon of milk, when something moves near the shelf above.

When my head quickly snaps up, I find myself staring into a pair of golden eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Ladies and gentlemen...Zuko has arrived! Well, kind of. More with him next chapter!:)  
**

**Anyway, the last at the end there was inspired by my personal experience. I was looking at a shelf when- BAM!- an arm pops out to restock it. Scared the crap out of me. Weirdly enough, it actually kind of inspired this whole story.**

**Also, I just wanted to thank you guys for all of the favorites and reviews I'm getting for this story! You people are seriously spoiling me:) Not that I'm complaining...See you next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

I let out a yelp as I tumble backwards and land on my rear. I blush as passing shoppers give me strange looks.

"Scared of milk?" a quiet, raspy voice taunts from somewhere above.

I look up and see no one. Confused as to where the voice came from, I stand up. I look pass the objects on the shelf and see and outline of a person. I take a step forward.

I reach my hand out to push a jug of milk to the side, and see a boy, standing behind the shelf. Smirking.

I couldn't see his face very clearly, but I could still make out some features. Black hair, strong jaw, and something- I couldn't tell what- circling his left eye that went went all the way to his ear.

I was snapped out of my gaze as he starts talking again. "Or, do you just like publicly humiliating yourself?" he continues.

_Excuse _me?

Who does this guy think he is? Nice workers this place has. "No," I retort, "I just didn't expect to see a creepy pervert spying on me from behind some milk." _Take that._

"As if I would want to spy on you," I hear the boy mutter. I step closer and point my finger at him.

"Listen, pal," I say, "I didn't ask for you to insult me. Now I expect an apology, or your manager is going to hear from me."

"Go for it."

What a sight I must be, standing with my nose pressed up against the cold shelf while I point my finger and yell at dairy products. People were starting to stare.

I could feel my face getting redder by the second. What nerve this guy has, talking to not just someone he doesn't know- but a customer, like this.

Before I can make a bigger fool of myself, I spin around and go back to my shopping.

I walk around the lively store looking for things that I missed. I couldn't help thinking about what Sokka had said. He shouldn't waste his time worrying about me. As I had said a million times before, I had to deal with Aang coming back by myself. On my own terms.

I stand in an aisle, looking through the spices, talking to myself. "Clove? No. Cilantro? Yuck. Chili peppers? No, too spicy for-"

"Frightened by milk and now talking to spices? What has gotten into people these days?"

That _voice._ Familiar, yet not. But I remember it all the same. "Following me, are you?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm just doing my job."

I'm still standing with my back towards him. I try to remember the face I saw-or almost saw-through the dark lights, but I can't picture it. I give up, scowl, and turn around.

I had previously thought that this guy was simply a boy, but I could see now that he was most definitely a man. He is almost a full head taller than me, so I have to tilt my head up a little to look him in the eyes. Despite his height, he doesn't seem to be much older than me.

When I locked gazes with him before, I thought that his gold eyes were merely a trick of the light. But I could see now that the actually _were _gold. They weren't what startled me, though.

Around his left eye, was a scar. It was an angry red and purple color, and looks like it hurt. The skin seems to be rough, so different from the rest of his smooth face.

He's wearing a green shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and blue jean, which seems to be the standard uniform here. I also notice that he's wearing an apron, too. On the apron it says 'I Love Tea!'. I would laugh if I wasn't so annoyed.

I shift my gaze back into his eyes. He knew I was staring at his scar, but the look in his eyes wasn't one that showed he was embarrassed. They glint darkly, challenging me to say something about it. I bite my tongue and turn back around again.

"Whatever. I'm still waiting for that apology," I say.

"It's not my fault that you are lactose-intolerant."

"I am _not _lactose-intolerant," I snap and walk away in the opposite direction. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Why don't you just leave the store?" he says.

I turn around quickly. "I think I will. But while I'm at it, how about you go and thank the person who gave you that scar for me?"

I immediately gasp and slap my hand over my mouth. I had gone too far. I knew it. And so did he. The man, still yet to be named, goes stiff and clenches his hands. His face goes red as he opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted.

"Excuse me, miss!" a round, older man says, walking quickly towards us with a smile on his face. He stops when he gets next to us.

The man has gray hair and a beard the same color. His eyes are gold, very much like those of the younger man next to me. He's wearing the same apron, too. Another employee, maybe?

Though his gray hair and laugh lines show him to be old, he radiates youth. His large grin is contagious.

"Is everything alright here?" he asks, eying the angry person to my right. A look passes between them, but it goes so quick I can't make it out.

"She-" the black haired man starts to say, pointing at me. I interrupt before he can continue.

"Everything is just fine," I say with what I hope is a convincing smile. "Just a tiny disagreement. Nothing to worry about."

The older man doesn't seem convinced, but he goes along with it anyway. He smiles and holds his hand out. "I'm Iroh. But most people around here call me Uncle."

I gasp and take his hand, shaking it. "You own this place? It's very lovely. Such a great addition to the city."

This seems to make him happy. "I'm glad you enjoy it! You are much too kind, miss...?"

"Katara," I tell him with a smile.

"What a beautiful name!" he says, clapping his hands together. "And what brings you to my shop today?"

"Just a bit of exploring," I say. I then look at the clock on the wall. "I really should get going, though. It was nice meeting you." I make sure to point that at Iroh, and not the scowling man next to me.

He laughs. "You too, my dear! Make sure to come again!"

"I will," I say and start walking. Once I get a little ways away, I turn around. "Oh, and by the way," I start with a smirk on my lips, looking at the younger of the two, "nice apron."

Iroh has to hold the other worker back as head to the checkout.

* * *

When I get home, I start dinner right away. Even though tonight was just a regular family dinner, I was a bit on edge. Knowing Sokka, he was going to give me looks the whole time, and then he would want to talk in private.

Three hours later, my brother and his girlfriend arrive. Toph wasn't back, leaving me alone with the two lovebirds.

As I watch them walk into the tiny living room, I wonder as to why they weren't married or even engaged yet. They have been dating at least three years. I could tell that Suki was ready to settle down. Sometimes she would make little comments about the future for them. But Sokka, dense as ever, is completely oblivious. I may just have to help her out sometime.

We talk casually about my new school. I tell them about my crazy teacher, Mr. Bumi, but I don't mention my meeting with Jet. Sokka is always overprotective, but I'm not so sure how he would take to me dating some guy I ran into.

When I was younger, I didn't really date much. As to why, the thought never really crossed my mind. But now that I think about it, I'm curious. I was never like the girls at school. With their heavy makeup and fancy clothing, I stood out like a sore thumb. While they were out shopping and gossiping, I was studying, trying to get as good of grades as Sokka. I tried to be kind to everyone, though. I guess kindness just sometimes isn't enough.

Aang and I were practically dating at the time. We never actually came out and said it, though. I can still remember when he first kissed me. He had grabbed me by the shoulders and roughly set his lips against mine. It wasn't the ideal first kiss, but beggars can't be choosers.

Sokka never had much of a problem about our affections. Maybe it was because we had been friends for a really long time and it was bound to happen. And we actually were happy.

Then Aang left, and I promised myself that I wouldn't go through that again.

Finally, Toph arrives and I silently thank the heavens. I can only stand so much of my brother sometimes.

"Why are they here?" Toph says bluntly as she walks in and sees them.

"Well hello to you, too," says Sokka.

I mentally slap myself. I should had told Toph that we were going to have visitors. I know that she doesn't like it when she isn't fully informed. Now she's going to be crabby.

"Oh, uh, they wanted to come over for dinner," I say.

She mutters a 'whatever' and retreats to the couch. I had told Toph about my current situation with my brother, and she understood completely. She told me that she knows what it feels like to have someone being nosy all the time. It was more of an accusation.

We all sit at the table when dinner is ready. It begins to remind me when Aang was with the rest of us, but I push it away. _Don't think about Aang._

When we are done eating, Sokka jumps me. "Can we talk?" he says, his blue eyes pleading.

"Fine," I say and lead him to the hallway. I lean against one of the walls and wave my hand for him to start.

"Listen, I know we've been having some...disagreements lately, but I was wondering if there was sometime when we could get together, maybe have lunch. You know, like we used to."

It sounds like we're a couple that is just on the verge of breaking up. I do know, though, what he was talking about. We used to have lunch together at least once, maybe twice a week. That's how close we were.

I cross my arms and stay silent. "Please Katara. I just want to talk." He uses the same voice as when he begged me to let him come to dinner earlier today.

It tugs at my heartstrings. Sokka just wants us to be close like we used to be. I want it to. Hell, I'd give anything. That's why I decide to give him a shot.

I look at his face and give him a weak smile. "Okay," I say. "How about lunch Sunday?"

He looks a bit surprised, like he didn't think I was going to say yes. Two days from now would be Sunday, and while it was a bit soon, I know he wouldn't pass it up.

He nods his head quickly. "Where do you want to go?" he asks.

I act as if I'm thinking about it, but I know exactly where I want to go. So I say, "Hmm. Ever heard of Uncle Iroh's?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Great. Meet me here at two. It will be my treat."

"But-"

I shake my finger at him. "No buts, Sokka. I'm paying."

He gives a defeated sigh, then smiles and puts me in a headlock to ruffle my hair. We slap each other as we return to the others. As we sit down, Toph looks at me and mouths _'everything good?'_

I nod my head and mouth back _'everything's fine'_.

My heart thinks that it's sincere, but knows that deep down, it's a complete lie.

* * *

**A/N: And Zuko is officially in! I admit that I was kinda stressed while trying to write him. I didn't know if I portrayed him well enough. I'll let you guys be the judge of that.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar:The Last Airbender**

* * *

Sunday eventually came. I spend most of the morning lounging around with Toph, me reading a book and her channel surfing. That's when I got the call.

I hear my familiar ring tone and flip the phone open. "Hello?"

"Hi, Katara." It's Lena.

"Oh, um, hi," I say, a bit confused. Lena never really calls me. Maybe one of the kids is sick. I'm no doctor yet, but I can still cheer them up.

"Let's just get to the point. Do you remember what we talked about a few days ago?"

_Oh_.

"Of course," I say. How could I forget? I almost got fired. "What about it?"

I can hear her take a deep breath. "Listen," she says, " I know that you need your classes and and time for yourself, but this can't continue. I need someone who can be here all of the time for the kids. That's why I'm letting you go."

I let what she said sink in. It's all true. I can't argue with her. It would be pointless.

Out of everything that I'm feeling right now, the most dominant is guilt. I let those kids down, and I let Lena down.

She continues. "I also think that it would be best if you...didn't come to visit for awhile. Let the kids adjust."

Fired and not allowed to visit? The words crush me. For almost three years I had been working for here. I was never just the person who would make food for those kids. They looked up to me. And now I have to stay away.

What will they think? That I left because I didn't care anymore? And what about Kami? These questions swirl through my mind, and I know that they most likely won't be answered.

Another thing, too. _What about the money?_ It was true that I rely on my paychecks from working at the orphanage for things like food, clothes, rent, _and _paying back the loans that I took from the bank to pay for my schooling. How will I pay them off, now that I'm unemployed?

"Katara?" Lena asks, breaking my thoughts. "I want you to know that this isn't anything personal. You are a wonderful person, and I know you have many opportunities for another job."

"I understand," I say. And it's true. I do understand. She needs someone who could be there all of the time, and I didn't fit the bill.

"Goodbye, Katara." She hangs up.

I slowly pull my phone away from my ear and stare at it for a long time.

I spend the rest of my day trying to get rid of all thoughts of my old job. Why couldn't I have been better? If I was, I wouldn't be jobless.

One main question haunts my mind: What if I hadn't applied to BSSU and never started going there? I know the answer to this one, though. If I had never gotten in, my dream of being a doctor would have been gone. But even though I'm now able to further pursue that dream, I still feel guilty.

Two o'clock eventually rolls around. I sit on the couch and wait for Sokka to arrive. Was it a mistake to agree to this? I know that I can't avoid him. He's my brother, and he's just trying to fulfill that role.

Ever since Mom died, he's been more protective of me. It was like growing up with two overprotective fathers. I think that he's just scared, though. Scared that what happened to her will happen to me.

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I grab my purse, then open it and slide outside. Sokka stands looking down with hid hands folded. I clear my throat and he looks at me.

"Ready to go?" I ask. He nods.

We take my car. Sokka had told me that he had never been to Uncle Iroh's before, so it would be better if I drive. The whole car ride, we don't talk. He sits, fiddling with his fingers while I fidget in my seat, trying to remember the way to the shop. I park on the same street that I had the first day I came here and we both got out.

I lead him down the streets, trying to find the large plaza. When we come to it, I steal a glance at Sokka. He's looking around in awe. I smirk, proud to have found such a great place on my own. When we pass the fountain, he lingers, admiring it much like I had done. Except he doesn't take out penny and make a wish.

I pull him away from the fountain and take him towards the shop. The strong smell from before hits me and I take in a deep breath. I hear my brother do the same.

I look around and see that the place is just as busy as it was Friday. Iroh has sure made a great reputation for this place.

I walk towards the other room, motioning for Sokka to follow me. The restaurant part of the store was crowded but we found a table near the corner of the room, and sit down on the opposite sides of the the wooden table.

I look around as we wait for our server. I notice a piano in the opposite corner of the room that I did not remember seeing there before. It's a light brown baby grand. I wondered if any of the employees played.

A waiter finally comes and gives us our menus and two glasses of water. Sokka and I skim them in silence. I look around for any sign of Iroh, but I don't see him. We haven't spoken much throughout this whole outing, so I wait for him to say something. After awhile he finally does.

"So, uh, how's the orphanage doing?"

I choke on the water that I had just put in my mouth. I set the glass down quickly. Really? Out of everything he could have said, he asks about the place that I had just got fired from? I wonder I I should tell him that I got let go. If I do, he'll bombard me with questions. But if I say everything is fine, we'll just go back to silence. I decide to go with the former.

I look at him. "About that," I start. "Lena kind of fired me."

Now it was his turn to choke on his water. Only for him, he does more of a spit take and the water lands on his shirt. He quickly grabs his napkin an dabs at his shirt.

"Why would she do that? You were her best worker!" he says incredulously.

"She said that she needed someone who could be there all of the time, which I can't because I started school again," I tell him.

He looks at me with sympathy. He knew how much the job and the kids meant to me. "Well," he says, "it's her loss. She'll eventually realize the mistake that she made."

I'm touched by Sokka's words. They really mean a lot to me. That's why I love him. Even after I ignored him for awhile and was not the nicest towards him, he still believes in me.

Our server comes back again, this time to take our order. Again, I look around for Iroh, but he is nowhere to be found.

Sokka and I talk for a bit longer until out food comes out. I roll my eyes at Sokka's food. He must have ordered at least one of everything. I guess that when I said that I'll pay, it meant 'order as much as you want!' to him.

To my surprise, Iroh appears after we start eating. "Miss Katara!" he says. "What a lovely surprise! I did not expect you back so soon."

I smile at him. "I wanted to try the food, so here I... I mean we, are," I say, motioning towards Sokka.

"Hey," Sokka says nonchalantly, giving a wave.

"Sokka, this is Iroh. He owns this place," I say.

Sokka's eyes light up. "Really? Because this place has some great food. A bit spicy for my taste, but still pretty good."

Sokka starts to go on about food, but I give a look and he quiets down. Iroh chuckles.

"Anyway," Iroh begins, "Miss Katara, I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" I say, raising my eyesbrows.

"I happened to overhear you talking about your recent unemployment, and I would like to offer you a job here."

Well. That was unexpected.

"I'm flattered," I say, "but why me?"

"You seem like a bright young lady, and I happen to need some more staff," he says.

This confuses me. Even though his shop is a busy place, it certainly doesn't seem like he needs more workers. I didn't even see a sign that says this place is hiring anywhere. But I'm not going to press it. I need a job, so I shouldn't look at gift horse in the mouth. I just wish I could know what his intentions are, though.

I look at Sokka. He's watching me to see what I will say. I look at him, a question in my eyes. _Should I take it? _He gives me a nod in response.

I turn back to Iroh. "I think... I'll accept."

"Wonderful!" he says. "Can you start tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? That's so soon. "Well," I say, "I have classes in the morning, so maybe I could work late afternoon until night?"

Iroh scratches his beard, thinking it over. "I think that will work," he says. "Just find me tomorrow and I'll have my assistant manager show you around."

I nod my head. "Thank you for this, Iroh. I really appreciate it."

He waves it away. "Just wanted to help," he says with a large grin. He then leaves Sokka and me to finish our lunch.

When we are done, I tell Sokka to go and wait in the car while I pay. He walks out while I make my way up to the counter to pay. I stop when I see who is standing behind the counter.

It was the guy from before! The one who kept making fun of me. Oh, how I would love to say something to embarrass him right now. In front of all of these people, too.

But that would make me no better than him. So instead I continue my way up to the counter. When I'm directly across from him, he doesn't look up at me. He pecks away on the cash register, then quietly tells me my total. He _still _does not look up, not even when I slap the money down. He takes it and gives me a halfhearted 'have a nice day', obviously something required of the workers.

I wait for a moment longer. Then, with a frustrated sigh, I turn and walk away. So much for _that. _I walk out of the store and join Sokka in the car.

The car ride home is better than the one before. We actually talk to each other. It was...nice.

When we get to my apartment, he walks me to my door, then nods and turns away to continue back down the hall.

"Sokka," I call out to him, "wait."

He halts and turns back around. I walk up to him and fling my arms around him, burying my head into his shoulder. "Thank you."

I feel him nod, and then pull away from our hug. I give him a smile and he returns it. I stand by my door and watch him walk away. When he's out of my view, I unlock my door and walk in, then close it quietly behind me.

I go to bed early. After all, I've got work tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait...my grandma was in the hospital for awhile and then i caught the flu:/ But, all is well now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

I wake up feeling well rested from going to bed early, unlike most nights. Being a night-owl sure can be a curse.

I get myself ready, then drive to the university. Like always, I'm in my seat and ready before the other students are even through the door. A good student is never tardy.

The others eventually come and sit down in their seats. Then Mr. Bumi walks in, and goes straight to his lecture. No greeting, no introduction to what we are doing that day. It's different, but I've come to get used to it.

He starts teaching, and I immediately go to my notebook, writing down notes furiously.

An hour later, he stops talking and sits down in his desk, puts his feet up, and grabs a newspaper. He unfolds it fully and holds it up, blocking all view of his face. That's our dismissal. Another thing that I've gotten used to.

The other students shuffle out of the room quickly, hurrying to their next class. I lag behind. I have a bit of free time before my next class. I slowly put my things in my bag and walk out.

I don't really have to think about which turns to take as I walk through the halls. I've only been here for about a week, and I already know this place inside out.

I head to library. Right away I pick out a book and look around to find a seat. I spot a beanbag in a corner. I go to it and plop down, curling up to get comfortable. Then I do a quick check of my surroundings.

As usual, the place is crowded. People are scattered around everywhere. I see a couple sitting at a table, and I instantly think of Jet.

I haven't seen him in awhile, but he did say we'd see each other around. I almost blush just thinking about him, but I immediately stop myself. I shouldn't be thinking about him. Not now.

I go back to my book, engrossing myself in a different world.

* * *

I drive back home after all of my classes are over. It's noon, so I have time to pick up the apartment a bit before I leave for work.

When I deem the cleanliness acceptable, I walk to my bedroom to grab my purse. My eyes go to my nightstand, where a few hair ties lay. I have no idea what the dress code is, so it would probably be good to put my hair up. Just in case.

I quickly put my hair up, pick up my purse, and walk to the door. For some reason, I pause at the door. I turn around and walk back to the nightstand. I open up the drawer.

The one that has my mother's necklace in it.

I pick it up, and rub my finger across the pale blue stone. I have this odd feeling that I should wear it. Or at least bring it. It's a strange feeling, one that I can't place my finger on. But it feels right. I open my purse and carefully put the necklace in.

* * *

I park on the side of the main street and start the walk to _Uncle Iroh's_. I breathe in the fall air. Winter will be coming soon. I can't wait. It's my favorite season.

I come to the plaza. I still can't get over how beautiful it is. Peaceful, yet so full of life.

I walk through the doors of the shop. I suddenly realize that I have no idea what to do. But I guess that I should look for Iroh. I notice a door near the back that says _employees only_. Well, I am an employee now.

When I reach the door, I hesitate to open it. What am I doing? I can't just barge in there. Maybe I should just wait. Another worker might come through, and then I could ask them where I should go.

Arms folded, I stand by the door for a good 5 minutes. Shoppers give me odd looks. That's it. I'm going in.

I slowly open the door and walk forward down the hallway. I go slowly, trying to be quiet. I bite my lip as I look into the first room on my right. Empty. Except for a desk in the corner. I try another room. Again, it's empty. I decide to push my luck and try the door at the end. That one must be the manager's office.

If there is a chance that Iroh is in there, I don't want it to seem like I am snooping. Even though I am. So, I knock on the door.

It opens, and there stands Iroh, grinning. "Katara!" he says, "come in, come in!"

I do as he says, and I stand next to the desk while he closes the door. He comes back and sits down in his desk, and tells me to take a seat.

A sense of déjà vu hits me, but unlike the last time I was in this position, I'm getting hired, not almost being fired. He opens a drawer and pulls out a green shirt. My uniform.

"Here you go," he says and hands it to me. "You'll have to wear this. It's not the most fashionable thing around, but at least you can wear jeans with it." He smiles.

"It's fine," I say, smiling. "Is there somewhere where I can go and change?"

"First door on the right." He waves his hand towards the hallway while he pulls out a name tag. I go into the bathroom and quickly change my shirt. I fold it up and open my purse to put it in. I stop as I look into my bag. The necklace sits on the bottom.

I want to put it on. I do. But I can't. I sigh and stuff my shirt in. Then I walk back to Iroh's office. He's still sitting at his desk, writing down some thing on a piece of paper. When he's done, he puts it off to the side, next to the name tag, and holds out a piece of cloth.

I take it and open it. When I see what it is, I groan inwardly. It's an apron. The horrible, ugly apron. I hold it out in front of me like it has an infectious disease and look at it. _I Love Tea! _and the store's logo mock me.

If I want to work here, though, I have to wear it. I slip it over my head and tie the strings at my back. I turn back to Iroh and he gives me two thumbs up. He then hands me the name tag with my name on it and I clip that onto the front of my shirt.

The next thing he gives me is the piece of paper he was scribbling on before. I hold it up to my face and look at the small writing. Three numbers are written there in neat writing. One says _Uncle Iroh's_;another says that it is Iroh's home number. But the third one, I have no idea who it is.

Iroh sees my look of confusion. "Those are for any emergencies or questions that you might have when we are gone."

I nod. "Okay," I say, "but who's-"

The door opens, interrupting me. I do a double take at the young man standing in the doorway, and he does the same to me, surprise etched on his face.

"Zuko!" Iroh says. Then he gestures to me. "This is our new employee. I want you to show her around and get help her get into the swing of things."

The newly named Zuko looks at me, his eyes zoning in on my uniform. He sees that I'm wearing the exact same thing as him. His eyes narrow in displeasure. He turns to Iroh.

"Why do I have to-" he starts to say, but Iroh gives him a stern look and he quiets down. Iroh then nods his head in my direction. "Fine," Zuko mutters darkly, and then walks out of the room, leaving us.

He comes back a moment later and gives me a look. He folds his arms and taps his foot. When I look at him blankly he waves one arm out in front of him. "Oh!" I say as I catch on and walk forward, out of the room. I stop and wait for him while he closes the door. He turns back to me, rolls his eyes, and starts forward at a fast pace. I trail behind him.

When we get out of the hallway and back to the store, he makes his way to the doors that connects the grocery store to the restaurant, not bothering to see if I'm behind him. He stops at the doors.

"This," he says, "is the restaurant. Because you have just started working here," he says this with distaste, "you will not be doing anything in there for awhile. That means that you do not pass through here unless you are given permission. Is that clear?"

I glare at him and cross my arms. "Who are to give me orders? Iroh is my boss, so I'm not-"

He cuts me of. "Yes, you are going to listen to me," he says, somehow knowing what I was going to say. "I'm the assistant manager." He smirks at that.

Assistant manager? How did _he_ get such a position? Well, he may have power over me in some ways, but I'm not going to put up with his "mightier-than-thou" attitude.

I give a 'hmph' and turn my head away. Before I know it, he's walking away again, and I practically have to run to catch up with him. We walk around the shelves, moving towards the back of the store again.

"You will start by restocking shelves. Make sure everything is placed neatly. If I hear any complaints, it's on your paycheck. Now get to work."

I open my mouth, a retort hot on my tongue. But Zuko's already gone. I look around and see him at a checkout, helping a customer. I clench, then unclench my hands, and take a deep breath. Then I do as he says and start restocking the empty shelves.

_Jerk! _I think as I violently slam down boxes of cake mix onto the shelf. Just how important is he, if he has the authority to take money off my paycheck? That arrogant, egotistical, assho-

Apparently I'm not the best shelf-stocker in the world, because the the boxes come tumbling down on top of me. I shriek as I fall to the floor. I land on my back, and I see customers lining up around me to see what happened.

I hear a snicker and turn my head upwards to see Zuko smirking at me. "Tsk, tsk. No napping on the job."

I push myself onto my knees. A single box falls from above and hits me square on the head. "Ow," I say, and rub it as it throbs. I look at Zuko again and he just stands there, not offering to help me up. _Of course not. That would require being helpful. _

I pick myself up and brush my hands down the from of my apron. "Maybe we need to start you on something a bit...easier," Zuko says. There's no emotion on his face, but I can hear the twisted amusement in his voice at me being publicly humiliated.

He walks away and I follow. He takes me through the employee's door, and and opens another smaller door on the left. He walks in, not turning on a light, and quickly steps back out.

He holds a broom out to me, smirking. I groan.

* * *

Two hours later, Zuko announces that I can take a break, and that he'll instruct me on a new task in when it's over. I roll my eyes. Another instruction from Mr. Know It All? I'd rather eat Sokka's cooking.

Not fully knowing where to go for my break, I walk around the store. I come to the doors that lead to the restaurant. I smile. I'm sure it would make a certain moody assistant manager happy if I ask if I can help with anything in the kitchen.

I look around for any sign of Zuko. Not seeing one, I sneak into the other room. It's not as busy as usual, but still has a good amount of people. I walk to the counter and look at the menu posted on the sleek counter.

I didn't notice it before, but the menu only consists of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation cuisine. I'm shocked. There's not even a hint of something that could be affiliated with the Water Tribes. I think that I'm going to have to change that.

"What are you doing?" a voice suddenly shouts from behind me.

_Uh oh._

I turn around to see Zuko stalking towards me. When he nears me, he stands close, trying to intimidate me with his height.

"Did you not comprehend it when I said to not step foot into here?" he growls.

"No," I say. "I completely understood. Can't say that I cared, though."

His eyes flash, and he steps closer. "Listen, girl. I can have you fired. Is that what you want? To be let go on your first day? To have everyone know that you couldn't even make it at some tacky store?

I don't look at him. His words hurt. But that's not what I'm thinking about.

Tacky? Why would he call this place that? Iroh's place is amazing. He should be proud that he works here. What makes him think otherwise?

I look up and see Iroh walking towards us. When he reaches us, he gives Zuko a questioning look. "What is going on here?"

Zuko answers before I can. "I specifically told her not to come in here until she was given permission. She purposely disobeyed me." He points his finger at me, ready to say something else.

Iroh stops him. "Zuko," he says. "Go and help at the checkouts. I'll talk to Katara." Then he gives Zuko a look.

Zuko narrows his eyes at me, but complies. He may have some authority, but Iroh is the main man, and Zuko has to do as he says. The angry young man stomps away, leaving me with Iroh.

Iroh turns to me and smiles. "You'll have to excuse him. He can be a bit...high strung at times."

I'm expecting a scolding from disobeying the rules, but it never comes. I look at Iroh,but he's just standing next to me, still grinning. My eyes flit back to the menu, and I purse my lips. Iroh sees this.

"Is there something wrong with out selection?" he asks, his voice holding worry.

"Oh, no," I say. "I was just wondering why you don't have anything from the Water Tribes on here. Our dishes _are _considered delicacies, you know."

Iroh gives me a sheepish look. "Well, you see, we've never had someone who know how to cook Water Tribe cuisine." He holds his hands up in front of himself. "I mean no disrespect at not having any think from your culture-"

"I can show you a few things!" I blurt, quite loudly, too. Iroh jumps at my outburst, but regains himself. I blush and say, "Seeing as I'm from the Water Tribes." I point to my blue eyes.

He strokes his gray beard. "I think we might be able to work something out. How about you show me a few things tomorrow, and we can see about getting put on the menu."

"That would be great! I promise they will be the best food you've ever tasted," I tell him excitedly.

Iroh smiles. "Tomorrow then." He nods and walks away, leaving me. I take one more look at the menu, then walk out. I don't want Zuko coming back and finding me still in here.

I spend the rest of my first day learning how the store runs. And stocking shelves- Zuko's favorite job for me.

When I get home, I make a beeline for my bedroom. I flop onto the bed, falling asleep within minutes.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I finally beat the flu and now I'm good as new! Hope you all like this chapter!**

**Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed! It means a lot to me!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

"And then you put it into strips like this," I say to Iroh, demonstrating. I cut the pieces of seal blubber into nice, neat lines. I line them up onto the tray. "Then, you let it dry for a day or two. Sometimes I mix in a few spices to give it a little more flavor, but you can do what you like."

For the past three hours I have been showing Iroh all that I know about Water Tribe cooking. Which frankly, is _a lot_. Fish, seal, sea prunes, and tons more. Iroh seems more interested than I thought he would be. He carefully watches my movements, even occasionally writing down a few notes. Plus, he asks questions. The guy obviously has a great respect for other cultures.

After I had finished my classes for the day, I drove straight home, grabbed my recipe box, and then drove to work. Iroh had pulled me into the kitchen immediately, much to Zuko's displeasure. He had complained that I needed to do chores in the other store, but had Iroh quieted him, saying that I could do it later. I was grateful to the old man or sticking up for me.

I set the tray aside as I wipe my hands on my apron. I turn to Iroh. "Do you think I can take my break now?" I ask hopefully. He chuckles and nods, and I make my way to the worker's lounge. It's empty. I go to the vending machine and buy myself a water. Then I skim through magazines on the small table next to it, not really interested.

My eyes travel up to the wall, where an old bulletin board hangs. It's filled with business cards, lost ads, and the usual. But tacked in the center is a blue flier. I squint my eyes to read the print.

The flier is advertising a Halloween Bash for BSSU on Halloween night.

My first though is 'no way'. I'm not really one for large parties. But then again, it could be a good way to maybe make some friends. Even Sokka might encourage me to go.

I'll have to bring Toph, of course. And find a costume.

I rip off a tab that has the time and location. I stick it into my pocket, then walk out of the worker's lounge. I walk back to the kitchen. I'm about to walk in, when I hear voices. One is older, speaking in a calm voice. The other is much younger, and speaking in a shouting whisper.

Iroh and Zuko.

I push the door open slightly, without making a sound, so I can hear better. I know that I _ really_ shouldn't be eavesdropping on my two bosses, but curiosity got the best of me. I put my ear to where the opening is and listen.

"...but it could be good for you!" This voice is Iroh's.

"I said no. It would be a waste of my time, anyways." This one is Zuko's.

"Come one, nephew! Do it for your old man. And if it's bad...you can just leave. Simple!"

"No is no, Uncle!" A loud sound fills the room, like somebody hit their fist on the steel counter. I have a pretty good guess on who it was.

Their conversation had not meant anything to me. Not until I had heard those two words.

Nephew? Uncle? Zuko and Iroh are related?

This is a quite a surprise to me, but yet it is not. It explains their matching eyes, and the looks that they give each other that are unreadable to everyone else but them. Plus, now I know why Zuko has his position. He must have been one of the first to work here, the most experienced out of all the others.

My respect for Iroh is now greater than it was before. He must have _some _patience level, dealing with his nephew. I know I can't put up with him for long.

I roll my eyes and scoff, remembering my interactions with Zuko.

The talking suddenly stops.

_Uh oh. _My heart starts to beat faster. Did they hear me?

Neither of them say anything. Maybe there just isn't anything else to be said. I'm convinced that I have gone unnoticed, but then Zuko's voice says, "You can come in." He spits out the words like they taste bad in his mouth.

I could turn around and flee, but I'm no coward. So, I push the door open and walk in, blushing furiously as I do so.

Zuko's is enraged at his private conversation being heard. He clenches his hands, but does not offer any more words. I look to Iroh, who has a small smile on his face. It doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I say quickly. "I shouldn't have been listening." I'm pretty sure my blush becomes even brighter.

"No harm done, my dear," he says kindly and gives Zuko another one of those looks they share. Zuko purses his lips, eyes narrowed at me. He walks in the direction of the door, which is behind me. He stops to give me one last glare, then walks out.

"Shall we return to our lesson?" Iroh says, gesturing to the items scattered on the silver counter.

I sigh and smile. I nod my head, and we return to our cooking.

* * *

By the time we get done, it's way past closing time. We had successfully come up with an impressive array of Water Tribe dishes to add to the menu. It feels nice to add a part of my culture to this place.

While Iroh and I had been working, I asked him about his relation to Zuko.

"I overheard you calling him your nephew, and him calling you his uncle," I had explained.

A smile had lit his face. "I could not have asked for a better nephew." He paused. "Although, I like to think of him as my own. He's been with me since he was a teenager."

That had confused me. "And his parents?" I asked, Iroh's words insinuating something had happened with Zuko's mother and father.

He smiled a bit sadly and said, "That, my dear, is a story for a different time."

I also found out that they are from the Fire Nation, which I probably could have guessed. Their traits were very different than those of the people of the Earth Kingdom. He told me that they moved here so that he could pursue his dream of opening his own shop, but his tone gave me the feeling that there was something else in play. I did not press it, though.

I leave the kitchen after shutting off the lights. I walk to my little locker that had my things in it. I put in the combo and pull out my things just as the lights turn out. _Great_, I think as I blindly navigate my way to the front of the store in the dark. I am able to see the entrance doors with the help of the moonlight from outside. I walk towards it, but a noise makes me stop.

It comes from the restaurant. The distinct sound of a piano comes from the the opening in the wall. The keys play a melancholy melody, the kind that haunts you. The wielder of the instrument does not lack in skill. I stop for a moment to listen.

Though sad, the song that is being played is undoubtedly beautiful. It's hypnotizing. I close my eyes as I listen to the sound.

Then it stops. I open my eyes, and turn to my right, where the music had come from. I swiftly walk towards the room, wanting to know who had been playing. I peek my head in to see if anyone is there, but it is pitch black.

"Hello?" I say into the darkness. "Is someone in here?"

No response. I turn to leave. As I walk out, I think that I hear something. I stop and look back. When I hear nothing else, I conclude that it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

I push my way out into the cold autumn air. I know that Iroh is around somewhere and will lock up. I go to my car and drive away.

When I get to my apartment, I open the door and darkness greets me yet again. I wander towards the lamp on the table beside the couch and turn it on. As I could have guessed, Toph is sleeping on the couch. I shake my head. She always does this when I'm not around to tell her to get into her own bed at night. I walk to the small closet in the hallway to get out a blanket. I come back and put it over Toph's sleeping form. I gently tuck it around her, trying not to wake my friend. The I turn off the lamp and head strait for my own bed.

* * *

"Katara! Hey Katara!" a voice says. I turn my head around as I walk to my next class. Jogging towards me is Jet. He pushes people aside as he nears me, but doesn't turn around to see their angry glares.

Jet and I haven't really talked since the first day I met him. We have the occasional greeting when we pass each other in the hallways, but nothing more than that. And honestly, I've so busy that I haven't even given a thought about brown-eyed man.

I can't believe it. It has already been a week since I started working at Iroh's place. And, I really like it there, too. My coworkers are friendly and helpful, and accepted me to their team right off the bat. Well, except for one.

This past week has shown me that Zuko completely loathes me. Whatever I do, I just can't please him. Even if I do the job that he assigns me successfully, he finds some flaw to it. He makes sure that we are never paired up for chores, avoiding me at all cost. Plus, he sticks me with the worst assignments. Cleaning toilets isn't exactly the most appealing thing to do.

Iroh is by far the nicest one there. When Zuko is there to bring me down, Iroh picks me back up with a word or two of encouragement. He truly a kind person. And the customers adore him.

He's very generous, too. He had paid me extra on my first pay check for adding new items to the menu. I think that it's unreasonable, but he says I deserve it.

"Hey Katara, how have you been?" Jet says as he comes up next to me, matching his stride with mine.

"Um, good. I've been good. And yourself?" I reply.

"Better now that I'm talking to you," he says, smirking. I feel my face heat up and I look away.

He continues. "So. Are you going to the Halloween Bash? It's legendary here."

Is he going to ask me out? "Well, I was thinking about it," I say casually.

"Well how about we go together?" he says. I look at him. His dark brown eyes are hopeful.

I stutter, "Um, ah, I-I don't know. I might not even go."

Jet looks a bit defeated. "That's a real shame."

We walk in the direction of my class. He walks me to the door. I turn to him to say goodbye.

"At least save a dance for me?" he asks, looking into my eyes. I guess he's not going to give up. "I'll think about it," I reply and walk into my class, leaving him standing there alone.

As class begins, I try to pay attention, but my thoughts are elsewhere.

Maybe I should go to the bash. Jet is a perfectly nice guy, and I'll have someone to dance with. I make up mind. I'll go.

Now to figure out how to get Toph to agree to it.

* * *

**A/N:Hello dear readers! Just wanted to let you guys know that I probably won't be updating for awhile now. I'm going to Puerto Rico! Super excited...I hope you like this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

"Remind me why I'm doing this again, Sweetness?" Toph says to me for the fifth time.

"Because," I reply matter-of-factly, "you love your best friend."

For the past hour and a half, Toph has been constantly voicing her unhappiness about coming to the party with me. It has been hard to get her agree to go.

The day that Jet had asked me to go to the Halloween Bash with him, I had finished up at work and then went straight home. I knew that Toph would be home later than usual, so I got more time for preparation.

I had made all of her favorite foods, everything perfectly the ways she likes it. I even added some dessert to satisfy her sweet tooth.

When she had gotten home, I ran to the door and greeted her, asking how her day had been and if she needed anything. I had gotten a blunt reply, but I kept my smile plastered to my face. I had announced that dinner was ready, using the most cheerful voice that I could. When we sat down, I served her the food. She raised an eyebrow at the contents on the plates before her, but did not speak. After we were done eating, though, she finally had.

"So, what do you want from me?" she had asked as I sliced the cheesecake.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her. "What do you mean, Toph?"

"I know what you are doing. You're trying to suck up to me."

_Crap._

My mouth dropped a little in surprise, but I quickly regained myself. "I can't do something nice for my friend?" I asked innocently.

"You can. That's always welcome, especially if your friend wants tickets to Earth Rumble." She smiled. "But this," she paused, sweeping her hand out in front of her at the table, "is a bit much."

I should have known she would figure it out. I had tried my best to not be obvious, but I guess it didn't work. Now that she knew I wanted something, I had to just ask her. What's the worst that could have happened?

"Well, you see, there's this Halloween party that my school is having, and I was wondering if-"

"No."

Naturally, I had been prepared for that answer. But there had to have been something that could sway her.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask," I said, frowning.

She gave a small laugh. "Yes I do. You want me to go with you." Her face got serious. "I'd rather stick pins in my eyes."

"But Toph!"

"No. I'm not going. Find someone else."

She was so stubborn! I had to think of something, anything, that could make her agree to go. I then walked over to her and threw all the dignity that I had out the window. I had gotten down on my knees at her side, clasped my hands together, and hung my head.

"Please," I had begged, "please, come with me. Just this one time. Then I'll never ask again."

I looked up at her. Her eyebrows were raised. She had been waiting for something.

"I'll buy you Earth Rumble tickets. Front row," I said desperately.

Then she had smirked, and I knew I had won her over. "Fine, I'll go."

I jumped up and hugged her, to which, she had promptly pushed me away, but I didn't mind. I couldn't stop smiling. I had been so happy.

Now, we are in my bedroom, putting our costumes together. Shopping for said costumes had been a little rough, but we had eventually found something for the both of us.

Toph is going as an Earth Rumble champion. She already has on her odd green tunic and shorts combination the she bought.

"This is what they wore back in the old days when they fought," she had explained to me when I asked her why she bought what she did.

She also has some green tape wrapped around her wrists. I watch as she throws on some sandals, and then she reaches into a bag and pulls out an elaborate belt. It looks pretty heavy as she hauls it up and around herself. I hear the belt click into place. She sees me watching and smirks.

"Impressive," I say.

As she goes to the bathroom to fix her hair up into a bun, I put my costume on. I slip on a purple robe that winds around my neck and leaves my shoulders bare. I use a thin rope to hold the fabric in place,as well as a white seashell. I open a tiny container of face paint. I dip two fingers in, then bring them to my face, painting red stripes across my cheeks, above my eyes, and from my mouth to my chin. The I take more paint and paint stripes across my neck and shoulders. I wipe my fingers on a rag, and pick up a new color of paint. I draw a shape that looks a bit like a horseshoe on my forehead using yellow. Then I add one gold band to each arm, making my outfit complete.

I am the Painted Lady.

As a kid, I read every single book about her. The spirit who watched over and protected a small village. Who was kind and gentle. A healer. She has been my role model. And in a way, she kind of still is.

I shuffle to my vanity mirror. My eyes travel over my outfit, never-resting on my face, which is slightly shielded by the large straw hat and veil. The veil obscures my vision a bit, so I have to squint at the red lines painted on my arms and shoulders, making sure they are perfectly symmetrical.

"Wow," I hear Toph say. I turn around to see her leaning against the door frame, looking over my costume. "That looks really great."

"You think?" I say, biting my bottom lip as I smooth down the red robes. She nods.

I touch up my make up, and then we both scramble out the door so we can make it to the party on time.

I read over the address on the small slip of paper, the one I had taken from work. We've come to a large building, just a little ways away from the school. I think it's a gymnasium, but I'm not sure. It looks _really _old. I can see the spaces where bricks have fallen off the walls, and the windows are slightly cracked. I can't see through them.

"Well," I say to Toph, "I think this is it." I look over the address again.

"Hmm. Nice place," she says sarcastically, noticing the beat up walls and windows.

We get out of my car. I tell Toph to go ahead, that I have to check something first. She shrugs and walks towards the old building. Then I reach nack into the car and grab my purse. I reach in, my fingers immediately feeling the soft silk of my necklace. I pull it out and rest it in my hand. I know it will ruin my costume, as I know the real Painted Lady does not wear a necklace like this, but I still feel like I should wear it. After a week of wearing it to work, I think I have become attached to wearing it again. I sigh and slip it on, feeling comforted as the pendant rests against the base my neck. Then I close the car door, lock it, and try to catch up to Toph.

I round the corner of the building, seeing a faint light coming through an opening. I walk to it and find Toph there, waiting for me. Her eyes rest on my necklace for a moment, but she makes no comment. We walk in together but immediately have to stop. The place is packed, and endless sea of people. The music is very loud, and the beat makes my whole body thrum. A few strobe lights are on, lighting up the place with their neon colors. I pull Toph to me so she doesn't get trampled. I shoulder through the crowd, pulling her with me, and I take us near the wall where there is an open space. I take a moment to look at my surroundings.

I can see why this place was chosen as the venue. The inside looks just as worn down as the outside, with real cobwebs scattered on the ceiling. I loom down at the floor to see that it _is _a gymnasium. The wooden floor is cracked in many spots. The place is downright _spooky_. The people who decorated it didn't even need to add as much as they did, in my opinion. The gym could pass for a haunted house on its own.

I turn back to Toph, who has her arms crossed and is frowning. I know that she really doesn't want to be here, but I hope she might be able to have _some _fun tonight. I hope that I do, too.

"Hows it going Toph?" I ask my friend. More like shout because of the loud music.

She grunts in response, and then says, "Just don't ditch me for some guy you might meet."

I nod. _Duly noted, _I think.

Speaking of guys, I look around in the crowd. Jet should be here. I walk forward, trying to get a better view. I raise my chin, trying to see over the crowd, but I'm too short. I start to give up and retreat back to where Toph is, but I feel a hand on my shoulder. I spin around.

"Je-" I start to say Jet's name, but the owner of the hand is not the guy from school.

It's my brother.

Decked out in blue armor, a wolf-like helmet on top of his head, boomerang in hand. He gives me a goofy grin as I scowl at him.

"Sokka," I say, my teeth clenched, "_what are you doing here?_"

"Enjoying the party."

I'm furious. "How did you even know about it? You don't go to BSSU!"

He winces at my tone. "Toph invited us."

_Us?_

I look behind my brother to see his girlfriend, Suki. She is wearing a long green dress, with gray armor covering her chest and fanning out at her hips. On her head rests a golden head-piece, and she holds a fan of the same color in her hand. Her face is white, except for some red above her eyes. A Kyoshi Warrior. She had told me one time about the ancient group of warrior women who protected her village from harm a long time ago.

Suki nods in greeting and goes to stand by Sokka. That's when I see a third person trailing behind. Orange and yellow robes, blue arrow tattoos, cautious gray eyes.

Aang.

Now I'm even angrier. "Excuse me," I say quickly before anyone else could do anything. I stalk back over to Toph, whose face is devoid of emotion. From the loom in her eyes, though, I can tell she knows what she is in trouble.

"What were you thinking, inviting them?" I hiss.

"What? I thought you were good with your brother now," she says, slightly confused.

"I _am._ But that doesn't mean I want him here! _Especially _Aang!"

It's true. I don't really want Sokka here. I just want to have fun tonight with my best friend, _without _my brother watching my every move and popping up at random times. _And _she invited Aang, which makes it just the more awkward. And nerve wrecking.

Toph takes a deep breath. "Listen," she says, "I know you're mad-"

"Damn right I am!" I yell, interrupting her.

"-but you need to just relax," she finishes.

I cross my arms and say, "Whatever. I'm gonna go dance." I stomp into the crowd.

I feel kind of bad. I just did the one thing Toph asked me not to do: ditch her. I clear it from my mind, though, as I start to dance. I sway with the music, moving my hips from side to side. I look around and wince with disgust as I see couples dancing _way _closer than what should be legal. I turn m back to them, closing my eyes.

Then, I feel hands on my hips, a hard chest pushing against my back. I spin and see brown eyes. _Jet. _

"Hey, Katara," he says huskily.

"Hi," I say, and then we're dancing. At first, it's just his hands on my hips, me swaying to the beat. But then I feel his hands creep up, closer to my chest. I smack his hands lightly, giggling, thinking that he's just teasing. But then, he does it again. I frown, hitting him harder than before. His hands retreat to my hips, but then try again for a third time. Then, I snap.

"Jet. Seriously. Stop." I say as I turn around to face him. But he doesn't. Instead he grips my elbow hard, and tries to pull me off the dance floor. "Stop!" I say indignantly. I try to resist, but he's way stronger than me. He pulls me a small hallway, where he slams me against the wall. My head hits with a resounding _crack_. Then, he tries kiss me.

I push him away with all the force I can muster. But to my unhappiness, he's just like my brother's boomerang. He keeps trying to come back. I hit, claw, scratch, but he's determined. He catches my wrists from one of my missed punches and holds them down at my sides, making them immobile. I turn my face away as he leans down. He stops when he right in my face. I can smell alcohol his breath. A strobe lights hits the hallway and I can see his brown eyes, which are glazed over.

Then, something, or _someone_, pushes him away. I can slightly see an outline, blending in with the darkness of the hallway. He pushes Jet away from me, towards the opening of the hallway, back into the crowd. Jet tries to resist, but clearly, this person is even stronger than he is. Jet stumbles back, gives me one long, hard look, then disappears into the mass of people.

With my back to one of the walls, I breathe heavily, a bit shocked at the recent events that just took place. I look towards the opening of the hallway where a bit of light able me to see the person, my _savior_, watching me. All I can see is a blue and white mask with horns, and then, the figure runs away, leaving by myself.

I take another deep breath, and then go to find Toph. I become a bit paranoid as I shoulder through the crowd, knowing that Jet could still be here. When I see her, she is in the same place that I left her, but now she had a cup in her hand. And she's talking and laughing with someone. A certain gray eyed someone. I stop and watch them for a moment.

Then I briskly walk up to her and pull her away, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Hey!" she says as I pull her to a spot where Aang is out of sight.

She starts to say something else, but I cut her off. "I want to leave," I growl.

"But-" she starts to turn, looking into the crowd, but then stops. She sighs. "Fine. Let's go." We exit the loud building, heading for my car.

_So much for having fun,_ I think to myself as we drive home.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the longer wait! It took awhile to get back into the swing of things. **

**To those of you who asked about my trip, it was amazing! I absolutely love traveling to foreign countries! Puerto Rico is definitely going on my list of favorites!**

**Thanks again to those of you who favorite, review, or even just read the story. Stay Lovely!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

I wake up on the couch. I must have been so tired last night that I couldn't make it to my room before I blacked out. I sit up, examining myself. I'm still in my Painted Lady costume. Smoothing down my hair, I push myself up off the couch. I shuffle forward, my robes limiting my movement, only to trip over something on the floor.

I fall on my face, and then sigh. This isn't the best way to start a day. I push myself up into a kneeling position, looking behind me to see what I have tripped over. It's Toph.

She's still sleeping, her belt secured tightly in her arms as if it was made of gold. I scowl as she continues to sleep soundly. I stand up, step around Toph's still form, and make my way to the bathroom.

I look at myself in the mirror. The red paint is smudged all over my arms, like a child got a hold of a paintbrush and decided that I was a nice canvas. I'm guessing that my face is the same way. My hands travel to my hair, which sticks to my neck and probably has some paint in it, too. What I need is a long, hot shower.

After I'm done, I throw on some clothes and go back to the living room. Toph it still sleeping on the floor. It can't be too comfortable, even for her. So I gently pick up her sleeping form and set her on the couch, trying not to wake her. She's not very heavy. I pull a blanket from the back of another chair and put it around her. I know that I'll get a good scolding when she wakes up, but that's fine with me.

As I get myself a glass of water from the kitchen, the events of last night's party flash in my mind.

Toph and Aang together, laughing. The man in the blue mask who saved me. Jet.

How could I have been so naïve? I was so stupid as to think that here was a guy who was genuine, who wouldn't hurt me. It's good that I hadn't really known him long enough for a relationship to form.

I take a large drink of my water, shivering as I feel its coldness slide down my throat. It's also a good thing that the masked man had intervened. But who was he? I didn't recognize the mask.

Curious, I walk to my room and sit down at my computer. Maybe the internet will give me some information. I type in the description. I mostly get pictures of the blue and white mask. I click on a page that seems promising. A small paragraph comes up and I read through it. I learn that the mask is used in a play, called _Love Amongst Dragons_, by a character named 'The Blue Spirit', but not much else. I make a face, close the browser, and leave my room.

* * *

I close my locker, put in the code, and walk out of the room smiling. It's Monday already, and I'm trying not to let the events of Friday get me down.

Over the weekend, I tried to find out a bit more about the Blue Spirit mask, to no avail. I didn't talk to Toph about what happened with Jet; I don't want her to have to worry about that.

I walk to the lounge. I usually always to this before I start work. Announcements and shifts are posted on the bulletin board, and I always read them so I know what's going on during the day. I push open the door and walk in, but immediately stop. There's no one here but me. It's strange, there is always other people in here. Where is everybody?

I decide to go to Iroh to see what this is about. My best guess is that he is in his office, so I check there first. I walk to the end of the hallway, where his office is. The door is slightly cracked open, and I hear a few voices quietly conversing. I slowly push it open. The talking stops. I scan the now quiet room. All of the employees with the afternoon shift are here. Iroh sits behind his desk, his usually cheerful face serious. Zuko stand next to him, arms crossed with his signature scowl plastered to his face.

They look at me, all of them having the same serious face as Iroh. I can feel the tension in the room. I furrow my eyebrows, confused.

"Katara," Iroh says, "come in. I was just going to share some news with all of you."

I look at him, and he smiles slightly, his eyes not lighting up how they usually do. What is going on here?

Iroh clears his throat. "Most of you know what today is, but some do not. For those of you who don't know... it's inspection day."

Everyone stays quiet, wanting Iroh to continue. And he does. "I have knowledge that our inspector will be... Zhao."

The room erupts. Everyone starts talking at once, most of them very unhappy. _I, _however, am still very confused. Is inspection day that bad?

"Quiet!" Iroh says, trying to calm down my co-workers. He says it again, this time louder, and everyone stops to listen.

"I know that this isn't good news," he says, " but if you all do your absolute best today, that's all I can ask. Do anything that he asks of you. But mostly try to stay out of his way, and continue your job. Hopefully, all will turn out well."

Start talking again, other groan. Hearing this, Iroh holds his hand up. "Now please," he says, "continue with your duties for the day." Everyone files out. I linger just a bit, hoping to catch Iroh's attention, but he is talking with Zuko. I sigh and walk out, catching up to the others.

As the day goes on, I still haven't seen any sign of our inspector. Everyone is still on edge. This Zhao guy is obviously someone not to be messed with.

I walk down the aisles taking inventory. As I mark down items on the paper attached to my clipboard, I hear a commotion going on a few aisles down, near one of the cash registers. I pause from my note taking, and peek around the corner to see what's going on. Other workers and customers are doing the same, trying to figure out what the fuss is about.

All that I can see is the broad back of a man, and a female worker behind him, her face clearly showing distress. She winces as he says something to her. She looks to be on the verge of tears. What is the man saying to her?

My spying is interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. I turn around as a customer asks me where the rice is. I tell him as nicely as I can, and when he leaves and I turn back to where I was looking before, but the man and the worker are gone.

When I finish my work, I move to my next task. I have to restock the produce. I go to the back room of the store and grab a cart of oranges. I pull it to the fruit section and start taking them out of the boxes, and putting them onto the shelves. I sigh. Aang loved oranges. I remember when he was so happy that I brought him some, that he used to juggle three at a time, and then-

No. I can't let him fill my thoughts.

I shake my head and return the the oranges. I finish with one box, set it aside, and open another. I reach in and pull out two of the fruits, then-

"Excuse me," a male voice sneers.

Both oranges drop to the ground, rolling in different directions. I spin around.

The man looks down at me as if I'm a bug that needs to be squashed. His cold eyes mock me, and I notice that his large sideburns take up most of his face. He's wearing a black suit, with a small golden name tag on it. I squint at it. His name is Zhao.

He looks down at the floor where the oranges have rolled. Then he glances at me again and writes down something on his clipboard. He continues to write down notes for a good two minutes. He stops, looks at me, and just when I think he's done, he writes more things down. I resist the urge to tap my foot.

Finally, he stops. "Anyways," he says, still looking at me like I'm an insect, "I would like you to tell me where the assistant manager is. The owner, Mr. Sozin," he says distastefully, "has told me that he would be around. I have a few questions for him."

"I haven't seen him," I say politely. The inspector raises an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he says, seeming unconvinced.

"Yes," I say. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." I try to say it as nicely as possible, but this man is already aggravating me, and we've only just met.

"You do that," he says and walks away, probably to bug someone else.

I go back to the oranges. When I finish with that, I move to something else. I grab a broom out of the supply closet and go to sweep the aisles.

I move the broom back and forth, putting everything into a neat pile. As I turn around to get the tray, I see Zhao standing at the end of the aisle. Watching me. He writes down something, then gestures for me to continue. I finish as quickly as I can, then go to restock some shelves.

As I do this, I find Zhao watching me again. I look up to see him writing _more _things on that damn clipboard. Now I'm annoyed.

I could confront him, but I remember what Iroh had said. Stay out of his way, and just continue with your job.

Well, it gets kind of hard to do my job when he's constantly watching me. Why can't he study someone else?

He sees me watching him. He smirks.

I walk into a different aisle. He follows.

I ask another employee a question. He scribbles something down.

I've just about had it. I watch as he writes, momentarily distracted, and make my escape.

I briskly walk away, glancing behind me to see I he noticed that I have left and is following. Not yet.

As I walk towards the lounge, I spot a door that I haven't noticed before, probably a closet. Knowing it would be quicker escape than where I intend to go, I look around as I pull open the door, and then quickly walk in.

I slam the door shut. It's pitch black inside. But that isn't the first thing I notice; the smell is.

It so overwhelming that I cough. It smells like the store when I first walked came here, but ten times _worse_. I cough some more, feeling for a light switch. I put my hands out in front of me as a guide and step backwards. Something stops me from going any further. Something that feels _a lot_ like the chest of another person.

"It appears that we have the same idea," a raspy voice says quietly.

I jump and spin around to face the other person, backing up and hitting my head on the door. _That's twice in one week, _I think to myself as I rub my head.

Then, I recognize the voice. "Zuko?" I say.

"Running from Zhao, too, I see," he says. "He seems to have that affect on people," he chuckles bitterly.

I cough again. "_What_ is that _smell_?" I manage to choke out.

"My uncle uses this closet to store his tea," he says. "You get used to the smell after awhile."

_Awhile? _"I take it you come here often?"

"Only when we get visits from Zhao," he says, his voice tinged with amusement. I wish I could see his face.

"And how long do you usually stay in here?"

"Until he gives up," he says simply.

I realize that this is probably the first real conversation I've had with Zuko. Or at least the most civil.

Neither of us say anything else. The silence is surprisingly not as uncomfortable as I would have imagined. Just a bit awkward, though.

I can hear customers walk by outside, mixed with Zuko's soft breathing. I shift, trying again to find a light switch. I accidentally stumble into Zuko. We both mutter apologies and scramble to opposite end of our small enclosed space. I swear I feel my cheeks heat ever so slightly.

I lose count of the minutes that go by. I lean my head back against the door, sighing.

Suddenly, the door is pulled open from behind me. On instinct, I stumble forward. Right into Zuko.

The light hurts my eyes, making me stumble a bit more. I hold a hand up to see who opened the door, praying it's not Zhao.

It's Iroh, and looking confused. He looks at Zuko and I briefly before his eyes travel down. It's then that I notice Zuko's hand on my arm. He must have caught me when I stumbled. I feel my cheeks heat up, and Zuko immediately releases his grip on me.

Iroh looks back up to Zuko. "Zhao," he says, "has left."

So it seems that Iroh knows about Zuko's little hideout.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zuko nod. Then he walks out, leaving me. Iroh steps aside, gesturing me to come out as well. I do.

I shake my head as they walk away, and go to continue with what I had been doing before.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, closet times... gotta love them. And Zhao's a bit of a creeper, too. Haha... anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

As I walk to biology class, I keep a look out for Jet. My eyes go back and forth as I watch for any sign of him. It's Wednesday. For three days I have tried _not _to find the brown-haired man.

I do the same thing every time I go through the hallways. Search for Jet, and when I don't find him, I scurry away to my destination.

What happened on Friday had frightened me. I don't know what I would have done had I not been saved. I do know that it is unlikely for Jet not be sober during school, but it still might be best if I just avoid him.

I walk into the classroom and sit down in my seat. I glance at the time on my phone. Just a bit early. Good.

Mr. Bumi has taken out all the clocks in his room, so none of the students ever know what time it is. Unless they check their phones, of course.

Other students begin to file in. I recognize a few of them, and I wave. They respond with a wave of their own. Sometimes, they come and talk to me.

I haven't made lot friends here. I haven't really had time between trying to focus hard on my studies mixed with work and the time I spend with my family. Besides, Toph doesn't usually take well to new people in our group. Like when Sokka met Suki

Toph used to have a huge crush on Sokka. I was the only one who knew, of course. So when he brought Suki to meet us, Toph had been crushed. I had felt really bad for her. My brother brought Suki along when our group would meet up, trying to make her a part of it. And she did. We all liked her, with the exception of Toph. I could see that it hurt my best friend a lot. But, she got over her crush. Sokka and Suki love each other, and Toph knew better than to interfere with that, no matter how much she liked him.

Toph has accepted Suki now. They get along great. Suki actually gets along with every one. She's just a very polite, likable person. I'm so happy that Sokka found her. Especially after what happened to Yue.

The room is now filled with students. It's also filled with quiet chatter as we await the arrival of our professor.

Mr. Bumi suddenly appears into the room. The chatter stops. Notebooks open and pens click, and everyone watches with rapt attention. But, instead of going to the board and writing like our professor usually does, he walks up to the center in front of us. He stops, eyes sweeping over everyone. Then, he raises his hands. He quickly claps twice, the loud, sharp sound making many people jump, including me.

"Okay, students," he says, "listen up. I want you all to write me a research paper for the end of the term. Your choice on the topic. Fifteen pages, _maximum_. I'll give you two weeks." He shrugs. "That's all."

He's about to go to the board when a student raises his hand. "But, Mr. Bumi," the student says, confusion clear in his voice, "it's not the end of the semester. Why do we have to write a paper?"

Murmurs run through the room, agreeing with the student's inquiry.

"Because," our professor says, "I want you to." He then bursts out laughing.

I inwardly groan. Great. A fifteen page paper. What's with this guy? A paper for the end of the term, when it's not even the middle of the semester?

I sigh as Mr. Bumi starts his lecture. I click my pen and start writing.

* * *

When class is dismissed, I head for the library. I have some time before my next class. I should probably get started on my research paper. I do a quick scan for Jet as I walk. No sign of him, but I still increase my stride.

I walk through the doors, right behind a large group of students, who talk loudly as they enter. I try to shoulder my way past them to reserve myself a table. I can't get past them. So instead, I make my way towards the wooden shelves to look for some books.

I have a few ideas about what I want to make my paper about. I'm not completely sure, though. Hopefully I'll find something in here that will help me decide.

I scan the titles, picking out a few that look promising. I look around. There are a few students in the same section that I am. I recognize some of them from my last class. They must be getting a head start on their papers, too.

Soon enough, my arms are full with the books. I want to try to find few more, but there's no way that I can carry anymore. I'll just have to come back after I look through these.

I tightened my arms around the heavy load and exit the aisle. Hopefully, there will be a place for me to sit. I scan the room for a table. There! A small table right next to the large window. A bit of sunlight streams through the glass, making the table shine. I hurry over to it and relieve my arms of the burden they carry. I pull out a chair from the table and sit down.

I take some items out of my bag. Notebook and pen, and a small bottle of water that I bought earlier. I pick up the top book from the stack and flip it open.

I start reading, writing down a few things here and there. I stop for a moment to get drink of water. I look around at the many students, glad that the room is quiet and peaceful.

As I go back to my writing, I hear loud laughter, followed by an even louder shushing sound. I again look up, and see a group of people coming this way from an aisle. I vaguely remember them. The talkative group that was in front of me on my way in. I watch as they all sit down at the table right next to mine. I dismiss them from my thoughts and go back to my work.

As I read, they whisper quietly. The chatter gradually starts to get louder. I purse my lips and try to focus. Then, one of them says something, and the other burst out laughing. At the same time, the light clouds pass in the sky, and bright light comes through the window, making me squint. Fabulous. How am I going to concentrate now?

I try to shield my eyes from the light and continue with my note-taking. The annoying group at the table next to me have now begun to toss wads of paper at each other. One eventually lands on my table. _That's it_, I say to myself, _I'm leaving. _I close the book and begin to pack up, but then think better of it. I have to find a topic for this paper and get it done. I shouldn't just leave. It's a library. The group should have some regard to the people in here who are trying to get things done. I could say something to them, put them in their place. Unlikely that they would care, though.

I look around, hopeful that there might be _one _table unoccupied. There isn't. I check again. This time, though, I catch a glimpse of ebony hair and a pale face. I eyes slowly slide back and rest on the figure. The bright sunlight makes it a bit hard to see, but as I study them, the identity of the person is unmistakable.

Zuko.

Questions swarm around in my mind as if they are flies. Why is Zuko here? Does he go to school here? Does he know that _I _go here, too?

He sits at a table alone across the room, where it's a bit darker than where I am. A black laptop sits in front of him, textbooks and paper on either side. The left side of his profile, the one with the scar, is facing the wall, away from every single person in the room. I wonder if it is on purpose. Like always, his lips are turned downward with the slightest hint of a frown.

More laughter erupts, and another squished paper wad flies past me. My annoyance grows and I look at the group with a glare. Then, a thought comes to me. I look at Zuko, then at the group, and again back to Zuko. There is a way for me to solve my problem. It would be bold, though, and maybe a bit... uncomfortable.

As I weigh my options, the chatter from the group buzzes in my ears. So, I put my things into my bag, pick up the stack of heavy books, get up, and walk away.

Right to where Zuko is sitting.

As hesitantly make my way to him, I picture the many ways that this could go wrong. But it's the best I can do under these circumstances.

It seems to take years, but I finally get to his table. I quietly set the books down and pull out a chair for myself. I sit down and wait for him to say something. No words come. I look up at him. Zuko is completely engrossed in his work. I watch as he types, then reads something from the book, stops to write a sentence down, then types again. His long, nimble fingers glide across the computer keys at a speed that seems faster than humanly possible.

I go completely unnoticed. The only sound being made is the sound of Zuko's furious typing. Maybe he's doing it on purpose; ignoring me with hopes that I will go away.

Whatever it is, I can't take it anymore. So I clear my throat.

Zuko's head snaps up and his eyes lock with mine. Surprise, curiosity, and annoyance flash across his face. They battle, but annoyance ends up being victorious.

"What do you want?" he asks. His tone has a slight hint of annoyance in it, but it's mixed with something else I can't pick up on.

Before I cans stop myself, the questions I wanted to ask stream out of my mouth. "Do you go to school here?" I blurt out. I learned awhile ago that the school library is open to the public, too.

His mouth sets into a hard line. It seems as is he's contemplating whether or not to tell me. Then he nods, and goes back to his work. He doesn't say anything more. I guess that's all I'm going to get from him.

"What's your major?" I ask, making small talk as I open up a book.

"Business," he mumbles.

"Oh," I say, "so you can eventually take over Iroh's place?" It seems reasonable to follow in his uncle's footsteps.

He stops and looks up at me, eyes flashing. "No," he says, voice hard.

"No?" I repeat. "Aren't you next in line for the position of manager?"

He shakes his head. "I am." He looks down and types something. "But it's just until I get a real job," he adds.

"What does that make working a Iroh's, then?" I inquire, truly curious.

He looks back up at me. "A dayjob," he says simply.

"That's something we have in common," I mumble.

"What?"

I shake my head. "Nothing."

He sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair. "Are you going to be... staying here the whole time?" he asks. But to me, it sounds more like a plead for me to leave.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I say, taking offense.

"I means," he says, "that I have work to do."

I give him a hard look. "If you have something to say, spit it out," I tell him.

Zuko scowls. "Fine. You're bugging me."

"Oh," I say, eyebrow raised. "So you want me to leave you alone."

"What do you think?" he asks sarcastically.

My mouth opens, then closes. He smirks slightly, obviously thinking that he's won this time. But, I don't leave, like Zuko probably expects me to. Instead, I get back to my search for topics for my paper. He frowns and goes back to his typing.

We sit in silence for about ten more minutes. I feel eyes on me, and I glance up to see him studying me.

"You're stubborn," he comments.

"_You're_ antisocial."

He rolls his eyes. I reach into my bag and pull out my water. I twist the cap off and take a sip. As I do so, though, I see Jet.

I slam the bottle down onto the table, choking on the water. I'm coughing like crazy. Zuko's looking at me like I'm mad.

I can't let Jet see me. So I duck under the table, trying to use Zuko's legs and backpack as a shield.

Zuko's head then pops under the table. "_What_," he asks, incredulous, "are you doing?"

"Obviously, I'm hiding!" I hiss back. I cough again.

He obviously thinks I'm crazy. "From what?"

"None of your business!" I snap. "Put your head back up. Look normal."

Another eye roll. "Whatever," he says and does as I say.

I stay under the table for five minutes. Then, I peek my head out. I sigh in relief. Jet's gone. I crawl out, hitting my head in the process. I sit on the ground rubbing my head as Zuko watches me with a bored expression. He doesn't bother to help me up. I do it myself.

I stand next to the table and smooth down my clothes, doing one last check for Jet in case I had been wrong about him being gone. Nope. I then start to pack up my things. Zuko doesn't speak.

Once I gather my things and the books, I look at Zuko, who's busy doing whatever.

"So," I say, "I'll see you at work," I say to him. I can't decide if it is a statement or a question.

He just nods, and I walk away.

* * *

**A/N: Eh. Not much to say about this one...I hope you guys like it nonetheless!**

**Thanks to everyone who follows, favorites, reviews, and reads! You guys are awesome!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

My phone rings as I put my things into my locker. I put it on speaker as I take my hair tie off my wrist, preparing to put my hair up.

"Hello?" I say as I grab my brown mass of hair and gather it in my hands at the top of my head.

"Hey sis. Got a minute?"

It's Sokka. I wrap the hair tie around my hair and tighten it. "Sure thing," I reply. I smooth my hair back and grab my phone. "What's up?"

"Well, Suki and I want to have a get-together for Thanksgiving this Saturday."

"Don't you think it's a bit early?" I ask.

"Yeah, um, I'll talk to you about that later," he says. "So, you coming?"

Of course I'm going to come. Why wouldn't I? I tell him this.

"Okay. Great. Be at our house at one. See ya."

I close my locker after putting my phone in it. Okay, that was a little odd. What's my brother planning? I roll my eyes, hoping it's not some sort of dumb prank like he did at Christmas a few years ago.

I walk out into the store. I nod at Iroh, so he know that I'm here. He smiles at me, then goes back to examining his store. I go to an aisle to start my first job.

As I stock shelves, I remember that I have to put some last touches on my essay that Mr. Bumi assigned a week ago. It's not due until _next _week, but I finished it early. I didn't get much work done at the library. I left after I had spotted Jet, and because it had been a bit... weird sitting with Zuko.

Speaking of Zuko, where is he? He usually tell me what to do when I get to work. I look around for him. I spot him working at a cash register. He doesn't look too happy... He frowns as he rings up items for a customer. He probably speaks in monotone as he says the cost...

Wait. What am I doing? I should get back to work. I shake my head and return to my job. I glance at Zuko a few times, though. At the library, Zuko hadn't been that bad... He wasn't completely unapproachable. He could have been a bit friendlier, though... But he didn't act like how he usually did at work. Maybe he's warming up to me?

Here I go again... Why do I care if he's being a bit nicer to me? It's not like we're friends. We might not even pass for acquaintances...

I try to focus on other things. Like how peaceful the store is. It's one of the reasons why I like working here. It's such a nice environment to work in. Plus, the people are so nice. It's going to be hard to leave, when the time comes...

But I shouldn't think about that now. I still have a long ways to go before I can get my degree.

Then, the store gets noticeably quieter. The quiet buzz of chatter stops, as well as the bustling activity. I can faintly hear a clicking noise. It comes my way.

_Click._

_ Click_

It sounds like... shoes? Heels, to be exact. It reminds of when I go to the mall, and you can hear the loud clicking as a group of teenage girls walk by, trying to seem older than they are.

The clicks get nearer. I peek out from the aisle. I do a double take. A woman walks toward me. But that's not the part that has me, and everyone else, staring. To say that she is overdressed is an understatement.

Her blood-red dress sticks out among everyone else in the room, who mostly wear their native green. It ends just above her knees, giving a view of her long, pale legs, which end with black high heels. A black leather jacket rests on her shoulders. My eyes travel to her face. It pale, with make-up that is meticulously done. Her bright red lips are pursed. The woman's raven hair, pulled up into a ponytail with two locks framing her face, shines like obsidian. Her delicate hand hold a sparkly clutch purse. She wears sunglasses, too, which I find odd.

She has a powerful aura of authority around her. It makes everyone that she passes stop and stare. The first thought that comes to my mind: wealthy. This girl obviously has money. She wears a large abundance of flashy jewelry, too, which makes all the other women eye her with envy. She might as well wear a crown.

She walks my way, graceful as ever, holding her head high with her shoulders back. Someone in the store whistles, and I expect her to smirk in self-appreciation. But instead, her perfectly red lips frown in disgust.

I pull away quickly and return to what I was doing as she stops to read the sign of the aisle I am in. Then she walks through the aisle. I don't look up, but I try to sneak small glances. Her shoes stop clicking she halts by the boxes of rice. She crosses her arms as she studies the boxes. Then one of the pale limbs reaches out, grabs a box, and as quickly as she came, the woman leaves the aisle. I watch as she clicks her way to a cash register. Or, more precisely, _Zuko's _cash register.

I slowly walk out of the aisle and stand near the end. The woman stands in line, her foot tapping with impatience. The person in front of her turns around and stares with wide eyes. She reaches up and pulls her glasses down to her nose. "Problem?" she says to the person staring at her. Her voice is sugary sweet, but tinted with annoyance. I can see more of her features with glasses lowered, and can faintly see the color of her eyes. Dark amber.

The person sputters incoherent words, then turns around. The woman looks satisfied as she raises her glasses back on her eyes. The line moves forward and before I know it, Zuko and the woman are face to face. She slowly puts down her box of rice. Then she and Zuko look at each other. It 's a silent stare down. A challenge that neither of them want to lose. Do they know each other?

Then, the woman laughs. But it's not a nice one. It's malicious and cold. She takes off her glasses and sets them on top of her head. She smirks.

"Zuzu."

_Zuzu?_

"Azula," Zuko replies, scowling. He rings up her item and puts it in a bag. "What do you want?"

So they do know each other. What is she? A friend? _Girlfriend?_

"Come on," Azula says sweetly. "Don't be like that."

Zuko glares. "I'm going to ask one more time. _What_ do you want?"

"If you must know," she says, "I have a message from him."

This piques Zuko's interest a bit. "What?" he says somewhat eagerly.

Azula smirks evily. "He knows what you are doing. Don't try it," she sneers.

Zuko seems angered. "Oh. Does he now?" he says, eyebrow raised.

Looking at her nails, Azula replies, "Of course he does. But I'm here with a proposition for you." She pauses and leans toward him. "Just forget all of this. Join me. Join _us_. It will be just like old times."

Zuko balls his fists, his face becoming a stony mask. "No," he says angrily. "No."

Azula frowns. Clearly, this is not the answer she wants. Her eyes narrow. She doesn't say anything as she opens up her purse and pulls out some money to pay. She shoves the money at Zuko and picks up her box. "You will see your error soon enough," she says to him, red lips pursed. "We both know that you will come crawling back." She spins and walks away. She takes the bag with her purchased item and throws it in the trash. Then she leaves, shoes clicking as she goes.

I'm beyond confused. Who _was_ she? And what was she talking to Zuko about?

Zuko looks around the room after Azula leaves. He catches my eye. We look at each other. I cock my head in question, showing him that I saw his conversation. To my surprise, he glares at me and goes back to his work.

Great. Now he's in a bad mood. Or, a worse mood than he usually is in. I make a mental note to stay under the radar. But why glare at me? I didn't do anything. Whatever. It's not like I care.

Right?

But Zuko does seem upset... Even if I ask him about it, though, he'd never give me a real answer. Plus, he doesn't deserve it from me... Yet, I don't like seeing others unhappy.

_ Curse my need to fix other peoples' problems!_ I think to myself. Then I give a small, sad laugh.

Mom used to say the same thing.

* * *

I'm one of the last workers left. Most of the others have already gone home, but I had some time to spare. It leaves me exhausted.

I pick up my things from my locker. Taking the hair tie out, I shake my head, letting my hair fall around my shoulders. It feels good to have it out of a ponytail.

I make my way to Iroh's office and knock on the door. "I'm out," I say. "See you tomorrow." I start to walk away, but he stops me.

"Katara? I was wondering if you could fill in as a cashier tomorrow. Carl is sick."

I smile. "Sure," I say and walk out. As I near the exit, I hear music. It's the piano again. The sound is beautiful like last time, but I don't bother with finding out who the player is. I just want to get home.

I make my way to my car, the moonlight guiding me. When I reach it, I sigh and climb in. I can't wait to get home and sleep. I put the key in the ignition and turn it.

Nothing happens.

I try again. I groan. Really? I must have car problems now? I just want to get home. I curse and get out. I stand by my car and pull my phone out. I try to call Toph. No answer. I try Sokka. His phones off. I text Suki. No reply. I curse my car for betraying me at a time like this. I cry out in frustration and throw my hands up in the air. I lean against my car, put my face in my hands, and wait.

Then a voice says, "Need a lift?"

I look up. Zuko stands a few feet away from me, eying my car. And me.

All I can do is nod.

"Come on," he says. He seems uncertain as he leads me back towards the store. We walk behind it, where two cars are parked.

Zuko pulls out his keys and pushes a button. A black car unlocks. He walks towards it and I follow. He goes to the passenger side and opens the door for me. He rubs the back of his neck as he signals for me to get in. I nod in gratitude as I do so. He closes the door and makes his way around to the other side and gets in. The whole time, all I can think is one thing:

Why is he doing this?

I look at the interior of his car. It's _very _fancy. No offense to Iroh, but I know that you can't get a car like this from the money that we get paid. Zuko does have a higher position, but I still don't think that it would be enough to pay for _this_.

_Just anther mystery to him_, I think.

Zuko starts the car. "Just tell me where," he says hoarsely. I give him the simple directions, and we go back to silence.

Here's my chance to ask him about what happened today. But I have to be subtle about it.

"So..." I say. He glances at me. "Uh, who, uh, was that today?" _Yeah, real subtle, Katara._

"...Azula," he replies distastefully.

"Is she an... ex girlfriend?" I ask uncomfortably.

Zuko suddenly makes a choking noise. He starts to shake. I don't know what's happening.

Then: "Azula?" he asks, dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? She's my sister!"

His sister?

For some reason, I quietly sigh in relief. A tiny part of me is extremely relieved that Zuko finds the idea of dating someone like Azula preposterous. And I have no idea why.

"Well," I say, a bit embarrassed. "Could have fooled me. From what she was saying, it almost sounded like she wants to get back together."

"She does. But it's not like _that_," he says quietly.

"What _is_ it like, then?" I inquire. _C'mon, Zuko,_ I think. _Tell me._

He's quiet. I look at him. He seems in deep thought. Then, he starts.

"It's about my father," Zuko says unhappily.

I wait for him to continue.

"I'll put it this way: there's something that I have to do. And my father will not be happy about. My sister is trying to get in the way, most likely because my father put her up to it. She's trying to rope me in, promising me everything I've ever wanted. But I won't give. And they can't stand it." He says the last part proudly.

"Oh," I say. "And what do you have to do that will make them so angry?"

"I... it's complicated," he says roughly, signaling that he wants to drop the subject. I sigh. That's all I'm going to get.

I look out the window. I notice that we're getting close to where I live. I tell Zuko to turn right.

"So, um, thanks. For taking me home. But I didn't need it," I tell him, looking away from the window and back at him.

He raises his eyebrow, keeping his eyes on the road.

I continue. "I mean, I would have been fine."

He doesn't look convinced. "As I recall, you were standing by your car, which must have not been working right, and you were alone. I saw you on your phone. Obviously, no one answered, from the tantrum you had. Tell me- what exactly were you going to do?"

How long had he watched me? "I would have handled it," I say, teeth clenched. "Plus, I did not throw a tantrum!"

"Yeah, because from what I saw you acted very mature about it," he mutters sarcastically.

"Excuse me? Are you telling me that I act like a child?"

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to," I say angrily.

"Fine."

"Fine."

Silence again. About three minutes later we are on my street. I tell him where my apartment is. Zuko pulls into the driveway and stops the car.

I turn to him before I get out. "Thanks again, Zuko," I say, defeated, knowing that I _did _need his help, but not really wanting to admit it.

He looks at me for a slow moment. "You're welcome, Katara."

I hop out of his car and wave. I slowly walk towards the min entrance and climb the steps. I turn around, and I watch Zuko drive away until I can't see the lights anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Before I leave to go to the Thanksgiving party, I make my mom's strawberry cheesecake. It's a tradition. Mom always made it for holidays and get togethers. With her gone, I feel like I need to follow in her footsteps.

The drive to my brother's house doesn't take very long. He lives just on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se in a nice neighborhood. He and Suki have been living together for about a year and a half now. She had been a bit reluctant at first, seeing as she would have to leave her home on Kyoshi. But with some persuasion from my brother (and a lot from me) Suki agreed.

I ring the doorbell and a moment later it opens. Suki's smiling face greets me. She pulls me into a hug as we say our hellos. Then she leads me to another room.

I always enjoy visiting their house. I love how it mixes both of their cultures. All over the house you can see little bits of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. Sometimes they are separate, other times they come together. It gives the house a certain charm.

As we near the kitchen, I hear a group of people talking. That's strange. The only other person that should be here is Sokka.

When the kitchen comes into view, I see Sokka sitting at the table. But there are also two people sitting with him.

"Dad!" I exclaim. My father stands up, pushing aside his chair. I practically run to him. I hug him tightly, and he squeezes back just as hard. I pull away, smiling. I'm so psyched out that he's here. Then I turn to the third person.

"Hi Gran!" I say as I hug her also, but not as hard. She looks a bit pale. I open my mouth to ask her how she is, but my dad interrupts.

"So, kiddo, how have you been?" he asks me. I let the fact that he called me 'kiddo' slide.

"I'm good. School and work keep me busy," I reply, shrugging.

"That's good. And how's Aang?"

Sokka erupts in a coughing fit. We all eye him.

"Sorry," he says, coughing again. Suki walks over to check on him. He pats his chest. "I think I'm catching something."

My brother gives me a disapproving look. I glare back and mouth 'later'. I turn back to my dad.

"He's fine," I quickly lie, trying to drop the subject. My dad tries to say something else, probably about Aang, but Sokka starts talking.

"Katara, where's Toph?" he asks me, stopping our father. I give him a thankful glance.

"Oh, she'll be here later. She had to go somewhere," I tell everyone. Toph didn't tell me where she was going, but she did say she'd be back for this.

"So, Dad," I say, grabbing a chair and sitting down. Everyone follows my lead. "I thought that you weren't going to be able to come back for a while," I say, remembering our video chat.

He nods. "I wanted to surprise you. I took a short leave, so I have to be back in two days."

I wish that he could stay longer. But, I'm grateful that he is able to be here with us. Gran, too. Speaking of which...

"How are you, Gran?" I ask, turning to my grandmother.

She smiles. "I'm alright," she says, giving a small shrug. But I don't believe it.

"Are you sure, Gran? You look a little-"

"Now, now, Sweetie. Don't you worry about me," she says with a stern edge to her voice.

I let it slide. But I still can't stop the doubt that creeps into my chest.

* * *

An hour later, the doorbell rings, announcing another arrival. I know it's Toph. I get up and walk to the door to let her in.

"Hey," she says nonchalantly. "Everyone here?"

I fill her in on my dad and grandmother coming as I walk her to the kitchen. She's just as surprised as I was to see my relatives.

Toph knows them pretty well. When I make my trips to the South Pole for a visit, she usually comes. She doesn't have any family other than her pushy parents, so I know that she appreciates being looked upon as a member of our family.

"Hey, Squirt," Dad says as he sees Toph. My best friend smiles, and I know it's sincere. My father makes up for the lack of paternal love in Toph's life. He's been calling her 'Squirt' ever since she met him when she was a teenager.

While Toph is occupying my family, Sokka comes up to me.

"Can I talk to you in the other room?" he says quietly. By the look on his face, it's important.

I nod. We go to the living room. My brother checks to make sure no one has followed then turns to me.

"You _still _haven't told Dad about Aang?" he says, face becoming red with anger.

"No, I-"

He rambles on. "How could you not? What if he finds out? Do you know how angry he's going to be that you've kept this a secret? And what are you going to do when the wedding comes and you don't have date?And-"

"_Wait_," I say, confused. "Wedding?"

His face gets even redder. "Um, yeah. I was going to ask Suki to marry me."

Without warning I catapult myself at my brother. I loop my arms around his neck in a hug.

"Oh my gosh!" I say jumping up and down. "I'm so happy for you!" I gush.

"She hasn't said yes yet, sis," he says jokingly, pulling away from me.

"Of course she'll say yes!"

Sokka looks at me nervously. "You think so?"

"Positive," I reassure him. I go in for another hug. We walk back to the kitchen. My brother fidgets nervously. Back in the kitchen, we find that everyone else has started to get the food out. I excuse myself and run to my car to get the cheesecake.

While we eat, I sneak a few glances at my brother. I'm amazed that he barely touches his food. He must really be nervous if his appetite is gone. He catches me looking. I give him an encouraging smile and nod. He smiles right back.

After we are done, I go to the counter so I can slice the dessert I made. Sokka comes up behind me, holding out his hand. A necklace. The ribbon is bluish-green color and the stone is a faded blue. I take it form my brother's hand, rubbing my thumb over the small grooves in the stone. I don't recognize the symbol. I hand it back to him, beaming, and nod my approval. He then holds out his other hand, which holds a sparkling ring.

I'm a bit surprised that my brother has chosen a necklace _and _a ring. Traditional, when member of the Water Tribe proposes, they only give a necklace that they made themselves. I'm glad that Sokka sticks to our culture with that part. A ring, however, is mainly used in the Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom. I suppose he did it to honor where Suki comes from, too.

The ring catches the light and shines. It's beautiful, and I know that Suki will love it.

"Do you think that you could put it in the dessert?" Sokka asks in a hopeful tone.

I just look at him.

"What?" he asks, oblivious.

I shake my head. "Sokka, we want her to say yes. It will be kind of hard to do so when she's choking on the ring, don't you think?" I answer sarcastically.

"...so is that an okay?"

"No it is not an okay! Just ask her. Be spontaneous. But no food," I shake my finger at him for emphasis.

"Fine," he says, beaten. He walks back to the table.

I finish slicing the delicious cheesecake, then put slices on small plates. I hand one out to everyone, then get one for myself and sit down.

I can hear the satisfied hums of my family as they eat my dessert. That's my favorite part. Watching their faces as they savor each bite, it's priceless. It makes my slice taste even sweeter.

As my dad eats, he has a puzzled expression on his face like he's trying to figure something out. He turns to me.

"Hmm," he says. "There's something in here that I can't put my finger on. It's kind of tangy..." he trails off.

"But it's still makes it sweet," Suki adds.

"Cinnamon?"

My grandmother smacks my brother on the arm before the rest of us can get to him.

Ignoring Sokka's yelp and complaints, I smirk. "It's the secret ingredient," I tell them.

"Well," Toph says, "you gonna tell us what it is?"

"Nope."

My family grumbles, but I just smirk some more.

"Whatever it is," Sokka starts, " we're going to need a lot of it."

"What for?" Suki's asks her boyfriend, confused.

"Our wedding," he says matter-of-factly, grinning. Then he pushes his chair away and get's down on one knee.

"Suki, there's no doubt in my mind that I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Now, I know that I annoying, or at least that's what Katara tells me, and I eat a lot-"

"Oh, shut up," Suki says jokingly. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

Sokka stands up and pulls Suki into his arms and kisses her. My family and I clap, excited for the two of them. Sokka then shows Suki the necklace and the ring. He slips the necklace around her throat, and pushes the ring onto her finger.

Gran's tearing up as she watches them. The couple then embrace everyone in the room. My dad hugs Sokka then slaps him on the back, saying 'good job, son'. Suki comes straight to me and crushes me into her arms.

"Be my maid of honor?" she asks me excitedly.

"Of course!" I say. How could I say no?

"You're gonna need to help me with the preparation, too. And we need to go dress shopping. And we'll need to get the other bridesmaids ready. And-"

"Slow down," I laugh, but she's already talking to Gran about the venue.

I look to find Toph. She sits in her chair, a small smile gracing her lips. I go and sit next to her.

"So," I say. "Are you... okay?" I know that she gave up on Sokka awhile ago, but I still need to be sure.

She waves her hand at me. "Yeah. I'm fine," she assures me.

"Are you excited to go dress shopping?" I joke, knowing she detests anything other than pants.

"Nuh uh. No way. Absolutely not."

I laugh, and so does she.

"When are you thinking of having the wedding?" Dad asks Sokka and his now fiancé.

"Two weeks," Sokka says right of the bat.

"Two weeks?" I say. "You can't prepare for a wedding in two weeks!" What is my brother thinking?

"Of course we can. It's not going to be very big. Just close family and friends And you'll help, too, won't you? "

I don't think its such a good idea. "Really, Sokka? It's still such short notice, no matter the size."

I'm very doubtful that the wedding preparations can be done in two weeks. The venue, the guest list, the dress- these things take time. Plus, they want me to help get it together. What if I mess something up and it all goes horribly wrong? Sokka will never forgive me. Or any of them, or that matter.

"C'mon, Katara," he says. But as he and Suki look at me, their eyes pleading, I know I can't refuse.

"Alright," I say, defeated. When their eyes light up with pure joy and gratitude, though, it's worth it.

* * *

**A/N: I can totally see Suki as a bridezilla. Any one else?  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own: Avatar The Last Airbender**

* * *

"Yes, Suki, I'm looking now."

"Good. Do you see anything you like? I want some thing that will pop, but not too far out there..."

I flip the page of the magazine, nodding at everything Suki says. Two days since she got engaged and she is already going crazy with the details.

"Well, I have to go, my mom's making dinner. But keep looking. In a few days we'll go shopping. Bye!"

I pull my phone away from my face and throw it beside me on the couch. I sigh. It' going to be a long two weeks. I have so much work to do.

Accepting to help with my brother's wedding made me the official wedding planner. I have to figure out the venue, guest list, catering, and so much more. I took the day off today from work so I could get started. Iroh had been very considerate about it when I asked him.

So here I am, sitting on the couch with bridal magazines scattered around me mixed with pictures of venues and a piece of paper with all sorts of numbers on it. Suki had delivered the gigantic stacks of magazines to my apartment herself. The she and my brother left to go see her parents.

They left for Kyoshi Island pretty early in the morning. When she dropped everything off Suki told me that they would be back by Wednesday. They wanted to tell her parents as soon as possible so they could help get everything ready too. I was extremely relieved to know that I would not be the only one doing the planning.

After Sokka had proposed during our family party, it was decided that my dad would take Gran back home. He would go back to work and so he could get another leave for the wedding, and then would come back with Gran two days before the ceremony. I was a bit worried about all the traveling for my grandmother, but like always, she assured me that she would be fine.

I suppose that they will stay with Sokka and Suki once they come back. My apartment isn't exactly capable of housing more than two people. Unless someone wants to sleep on the couch, which I already know will be a resounding 'no'.

I lean forward against the coffee table to write down the name of a dress in the magazine. As I go back to looking, I hear a loud noise coming from one of the bedrooms. Mine? Toph's? As I listen, it sounds like a lot of moving things around. Is Toph changing around her room?

I haven't been able to talk to Toph much there days. With school and work, I'm only around in the early mornings and later nights. Toph has school, too. Maybe I'll try to get her to come shopping with me and Suki. It should be mandatory for her to come, considering she's one of Suki's bridesmaids. But I know she won't go without a fight.

Speaking of which, I can hear her coming down the hallway. "Hey," I greet her as she comes into view.

She walks past me and sits down in the chair next to the couch. She looks down and fiddles with her thumbs, in a very un-Toph way. Even though she's the expert body language reader, I know enough to be able to tell that something's wrong.

"Toph," I say, "is everything okay?"

She looks up at me. Her lip are pursed and her brow is furrowed. "I think," she says after a moment, "I think I should go visit my parents."

I'm unsure of what to say. Toph hasn't seen her parents in a very long time. They are probably still angry at her for leaving. I guess I can see why. She's their only child.

But they still shouldn't have been as hard on her. Toph's an extremely independent person, and keeping her on a short leash isn't going to do good in the long run.

"Are you... going to leave then?" I ask her.

She takes a deep breathe. "I think I will. I just... I don't want them to be mad at me. I'm going to explain why I left, and hopefully, they'll understand."

I get where she's going. She loves them, and wants to assure them that they are still family, no matter what.

"When will you get back? You have to come before the wedding. We need to get you fitted for your dress, and-"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. I'll be back before you can say 'platypus-bear'."

I stand. "Alright, I'll help you pack." I step over all of my scattered things and we walk to her room together.

* * *

When we get done, I help bring her suitcase to her car. I put it in, then stop her.

"You're sure you want to do this?" I question her in case she has any second thoughts.

Toph hesitates, then nods.

"Positive?" I check one last time.

"Completely."

I step forward and hug her. She cringes slightly and I smile. "Make sure to call when you get to Gaoling," I tell her.

"Yes, Mom," she jokes and punches my arm lightly.

* * *

After Toph leaves, I go back to the wedding planning. I laugh at one of the notes Suki wrote in a magazine. It's a small sentence next to a center piece. It says "Sokka likes this one." It makes me laugh again. _Sure _my brother likes it.

He's excited about the wedding, but when it comes to planning it, Sokka backs off. I don't think he really cares what color the flowers are or if Suki's shoes match her dress. He's happier letting us girls do all the work. All he cares is that he's marrying the woman he loves, and that's enough.

I look out the window and see little specks of white falling from the sky. It's snowing! I jump up and run to the window, ecstatic. It's a bit early for it to be snowing this time of the year, but oh well. It reminds me of home.

Living in the South Pole means snow all year around. It was cold, but I liked it. Sokka and I would play in the snow everyday when we didn't have school or chores or any other responsibilities. Coming to the Earth Kingdom was the first real time I saw grass and trees. It was so green. I do like the sun and its warmth, but there are times when I long for home.

I eventually bring my things over to the window so I can watch the snow fall while I work. Pretty soon, the wind is blowing hard and the snow is relentless. How can we get a blizzard so soon? We get them back home often. But here? It's rare. I stop to look at the time.

And then the power goes out and I'm surrounded by darkness.

I sit there in pitch black for a moment, unsure of what has happened. Then I come to my senses.

"_Shit!_"

This is just fabulous. I have work to do! My heart starts to beat faster from my aggravation.

_Calm down, Katara, _I tell myself. _It'll pass._

But it doesn't. Seconds and minutes go by. Pretty soon, it's been an hour. Then a half. And the snow is still coming down hard. And I suppose the power lines can't be fixed in this weather.

I groan. What do I do? Toph's on her way to her parents, Sokka and Suki are at Kyoshi, and the rest of my family is in the South Pole.

_Curse my bad luck!_

I groan again and stand. Using my phone for light, I navigate my way around. I almost trip on the leg of the coffee table. I find a phone book sitting underneath said table. I search for the number of my electric company and dial it immediately. A worker picks up right away.

I inform the person on the other line that the power is out, but the only response is that the whole area's power is out and nothing can be done until the next day.

I curse again, and put my face in my hands. I sigh. There's only one person left that I can call. I walk over to the fridge, and shine light on the small piece of paper taped to it. Then I call the one number I never thought I would.

* * *

Before I leave, I grab my purse and a few other things that I will need. Toiletries, my things for school, and my clothes for tomorrow. Then, using Zuko's directions, I drive to his apartment.

My conversation on the phone with Zuko was, like most things, awkward. I don't want to overstep any boundaries by asking him for this favor. But what other choice do I have? Iroh? Absolutely not.

Judging by Zuko's directions, he lives in the wealthier section of Ba Sing Se. It must be why his power is still on.

When he picked up his phone he sounded like he had just woken up. He was confused too, as to why _I _was calling him at this time. But, he has power. And a spare room I can use. I'll just stay the night and be gone early in the morning. We don't even have to really interact.

When I arrive at the address Zuko gave me, I see that I had been right. His apartment building is _really_ nice. I can tell all of this just from looking at the outside, too. Green lawn, polished windows, and fancy cars in driveways. Even the line of mailboxes look perfect.

I grab my things and enter the building. Zuko said that he would have the front doors open for me. I walk in and as soon as the door closes, I can hear the locks go into place. I look up to see security cameras following my movement. As I expected, the place has high security. I walk up the stairs to the top floor of the building. I find the right number and knock on the door.

It opens almost immediately. A very tired looking Zuko stares back at me. He's wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt. Was he asleep before...?

"Hi," I say, giving a small wave.

Zuko blinks. "Yeah, uh, come on in," he says a bit groggily. He obviously had been asleep.

He backs away and holds the door open for me. I step in and look around. It's a bit dark. A small lamp is on in the corner to my right, but other than that, the moonlight does most of work. It shines faintly through he window, allowing me to see around faintly.

The living room and kitchen are extravagantly decorated in blacks and reds. Not to mention, it's huge. Much bigger than mine. The main thing that catches my eye, though, is an ebony piano that sits next to the window. The moonlight shines on its surface, making it incandescent. Does he play, or is it just a decoration?

Zuko silently leads me past the piano and down a hallway. A few framed photos hand on the walls on either side. He stops at the first door and opens it. I walk in and set my things on the large bed. The room looks like the all the other parts of the house I saw. Luxurious and well decorated, but comfortable.

"You know," I say, turning back to Zuko, who watches me from the doorway. "If you didn't work at Iroh's, you could do real well in interior design," I joke.

I think I see his lips turn up lightly, almost a smile. But it disappears as quickly as it comes. Maybe it's just the moonlight playing tricks on me.

Zuko starts to turn away, but I stop him.

"Zuko, wait," I say. He freezes and looks back at me. "Thanks," I say, sincere.

All he does is nod. "Goodnight," he tells me quietly.

"Goodnight," I say, and close the door.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who follows, favorites, reviews, and reads!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

I wake up to the sound of a piano.

I raise my arms above my head, stretching them. I turn to my side, changing my position to one more comfortable.

Then I gasp and jolt up into a sitting position, eyes wide. For a moment, I'm unsure of where I am. The soft blues of my room have been changed to bright red. Where an I?

Memories of last night come back to me. The power outage. Calling Zuko and coming to his house. His almost smile, though I don't know why that one comes back so vividly.

I look at my surroundings. Sunlight comes through the window, making the room glow. Zuko's guest bedroom is really nice. It doesn't seem to have been used much, either.

I get off the bed and stand up, grabbing my phone off of the nightstand. I have one missed call from Toph, and one from Suki. I'll just call them back later. Looking at the time, I have about two hours before class starts.

I should probably go soon, though. I've already intruded on Zuko enough. It does feel like on odd thing to come to his and stay there, but it's not like I had another choice. The only other person I could have gone to is... Aang. Not like that's going to ever happen, though.

I grab my clothes for the day and some toiletries. I wonder if Zuko will mind if I take a shower...

I open the door slightly, and the music becomes louder. I slowly step out, trying to be quiet. I close the door, then make my way down the hallway. As Zuko's living room comes into view, I see him sitting at the ebony piano, playing. He wears headphones and looks completely lost in the music.

Right away, I can tell that he's good. _Really _good. I lean against the wall and listen to him play. Who could have guessed that Zuko's a talented musician?

The song that he's playing ends and he switches to a different one, this song slower than the last. I close my eyes, getting an odd sense of déjà vu. As I listen to it, the song sounds familiar. I swear I've heard it before...

The restaurant... it was _Zuko _that was playing? All those nights when I was leaving... No wonder why he always seemed to disappear near closing time. He went to go play, thinking that everyone was gone. Does that mean he's... shy? With talent like this, I don't know why he would want to hide it.

I open my eyes again and look at him again. It's then that I realize he's shirtless.

I blush. Gone is the t-shirt from last night, replaced by his pale, muscled back. I watch the sinewy muscles in his arms ripple as he plays...

I shake my head. What am I doing? Coming to his house, sleeping there, and admiring him while he's halfway naked and completely unaware...

Well, maybe not _admiring_... just... looking. That's sounds better. Less stalker-ish.

I call out Zuko's name, but he doesn't respond. I say it again, but he keeps on playing. Is he really that engrossed in his playing? Brow furrowed, I study him.

The headphones... No wonder he can't hear me. I don't want to interrupt him, but I really need to get ready for class. I'm sure he won't mind if I do take a quick shower.

Turning back to the hallway, I see a few other doors. I open the first one on the right. A closet. I close it. I try the next one. It's the bathroom.

I walk in, close the door, and glance in the mirror. My hair needs a good brushing badly. I turn away and turn the shower handle. I wait until steam fills the room, signaling that the water is warm, then step in.

* * *

When I'm done, I grab a towel, turn the water off and step out. I wrap the towel around my body and secure it. The mirror is foggy, so I wipe the condensation away so I can see my reflection. The shower helped my hair, but it's still tangled. I grab my brush and try to unsnarl it. When my hair finally cooperates, I reach for my bag that contains my clothes, which sits on the ground next to the door.

Right as the door opens.

I try to grab onto the sink counter to keep from falling over. But I get tangled in another pair of legs and get knocked down anyway. I yelp as I see Zuko falling towards me. I brace myself to be crushed, but nothing lands on me. I see Zuko's arms on either side of my body, holding himself up. I look up and our eyes lock.

Zuko appears shocked, like he forgot that I stayed here. And, he's still shirtless.

And I'm only in a towel, which, by the way, has come partly undone from my fall.

We seem to realize this at the same time, and we both try to scramble up. We both mutter apologies as we untangle ourselves. As soon as we get up, he grabs his fallen music player and scurries out the door and I close it and turn around, leaning against it. My heart beats fast as I breathe hard.

I grip the counter and look into the mirror. My face is bright red.

_Oh my._

I can't believe that just happened. I was practically naked! And he... he didn't even bat an eyelash!

I try to calm down my racing heart, and wipe my face, as if I could erase the blush that seems to be permanently stained on my cheeks these days. No matter how hard I try to calm down, the my face stays red. I sigh, and grab my clothes, this time being able to change without being knocked to the ground.

Once fully dressed, I take a deep breath before I open the door. I'm going to have to face him. I just hope the stupid blush leaves.

_Calm and collected, Katara, _I tell myself. _Calm and collected._

Pulling the door open, I walk out and take a left. I walk down the hallway, ready to confront Zuko. But as I'm walking, I notice the walls. Pictures that I could just vaguely see the outline of last night hang on either side. I try to resist the urge to study them, but in the end, curiosity wins.

I lightly step up to a framed picture near my right. It's bigger than all the others. I study it.

A woman sitting next to a small pond smiles back at me. She seems to be laughing at the tiny turtle-duck that swims near the edge. She's undeniably beautiful. Dark hair, porcelain skin, light eyes. As I look at her face, I can see the resemblance.

Zuko's mother.

I have yet to know what his father looks like, but seeing Zuko's face in my mind next to this woman's, I can see where he gets most of his features from. I move to the next picture.

It's Zuko and his sister. A younger version, though. I find it interesting that he has a picture of of her up on his wall. Judging by their interaction at the store, they don't seem to be very close. Not like how Sokka and I are. I guess I can understand that, though. Azula doesn't exactly seem to be a ray of sunshine, based on what I saw.

She looks so harmless, in the picture though. I'll guess that she's about seven years old in the photo. There's also a smile on her face, different from the smirk I saw before. I briefly wonder what exactly happened. Not just with Zuko's sister, but with his whole family. His sister is vicious, his father doesn't even seem like he's in the same nation, and he has never mentioned his mother. Not once.

I also notice another interesting detail about the picture. Zuko doesn't have his scar.

The next photo makes me smile. It's him and Iroh. Zuko's older in this one than the last, I'll say about a few years younger than he is now. Not that I know his exact age, but it has to be around mine.

The picture shows Zuko and his uncle, arms around each others' shoulders. They stand in front of _Uncle Iroh's_. A cut red ribbon is shown off to the side. It must be the opening of Iroh's shop.

Amazingly enough, Zuko's smiling. Not enough to show any teeth, but still. It's a smile. And dare I say it, it makes him look handsome.

I keep my eyes on the picture as I move to the next object adoring the wall. I take my eyes off of Zuko and Iroh, only to come face to face with a smiling demon mask.

_It can't be..._

Blue and white face, black eyes and tow horns at the top. I could recognize it anywhere. It's the Blue Spirit mask.

My eyes go wide.

_ No way. It couldn't have been... _Zuko_?_

Was it _he_ that saved me from Jet on Halloween? Impossible... It might be a coincidence...

But it all fits together. Zuko's a student at BSSU, so of course he could get into the party. And the conversation I overheard, it must have been _about_ said party. Iroh was trying to persuade him to go...

And now the mask. The exact mask of the person who helped me. The Blue Spirit.

But why?

If it really _was _Zuko, why would he do it? He's not exactly a socialite, so why did he even go? How did he even see me, when the hallway that Jet had pushed me in was so dark, and even know that it was me? I was wearing a costume.

But most importantly, why didn't Zuko tell me, or even _show_ me, that it had been him?

I want to ask him about it, but my conscience tells me that it's not a good idea. If he wants it to be a secret, which he most likely does based on the facts, he won't appreciate it if I pester him with questions. But I still can't help but wonder why.

I step back, intent on moving to the other wall, but the floor boards creak.

"Katara?" comes Zuko's voice from the kitchen, which is connected to the living room. The quiet hall resonates with his raspy voice.

I slowly walk towards the end of the hallway. As the connecting room comes into view, I turn to see Zuko in the kitchen. He stands near the stove, spatula in hand, scowling as he makes himself breakfast.

I pause next to the counter, and he turns to glance at me. "Good morning," I say slowly, hesitantly. He gives me look, then nods.

Again, it's like the scene in the bathroom didn't happen. Here I am, trying not to freak out about it, and he... he's as impassive as ever.

I watch as he cooks. It's odd, seeing him do something so mundane as making scrambled eggs. All I ever really see of him is at work, usually on his high horse and bossing others around.

He flips the eggs around a bit, then scoops half of them out and puts them on a plate. Then, he holds the plate out to me.

"Oh, I'm not really hungry..." I say as he waits for me to take the plate. Apparently, my stomach thinks that is a complete lie, because it takes a moment to growl. Loudly.

Zuko raises his eyebrow, but says nothing. But in his eyes I can see the smallest hint of amusement. "Fine," I mumble and take the plate. He hands me a fork with it.

I lean against the counter and stab a piece of egg. I chew and swallow the rubbery substance, reviewing the taste. Not bad. Could have used some more pepper, though.

I take another bite while Zuko sets two glasses and a container of juice in front of him. He pours the drinks with casual ease, and I briefly ponder if he used to waiter. He slides a glass over to me, and as I take a sip he starts eating his own breakfast.

In silence, we eat our food. Here's another thing I can add to list. Intruding on him at his own home, snooping around his personal things, and now having him feed me. Not that I asked for it, but still.

There's so much I want to ask him. About his family, mostly. And about him being the Blue Spirit, too. But I just don't know how. Maybe I'll start with something easier.

"I'm, uh, sorry... about what happened earlier. I should have checked with you before I went to take a shower," I say hesitantly, not sure how he's going to react.

Zuko looks up and swallows the bite he just took. Then he shrugs. "No harm done," he rasps.

"I didn't mean for that to happen, and-"

"Seriously, Katara," he interjects. "It's fine." He goes back to eating.

I abruptly drop my fork and clench my fists.

"How can you be like this?" I say loudly. "You can act like nothing happened, but it did! It may not seem like much to you, but it's different for me. At the most, you could give me an apology!"

Zuko glares at me. "I'm _sorry_," he says, "that I had my earphones in and couldn't hear you. I _thought _you were asleep." His voice drips with sarcasm.

I narrow my eyes and glare back. "You could at least be sincere about it," I mutter angrily. I push myself off the counter, handing my unfinished plate back to him, and walk away to the guestroom.

I hurriedly pack up my things, feeling that I've overstayd my visit. I'm about to leave the room, but then I look back at the unmade bed. I sigh and go to put it back to the way it was when I got here. Then I leave the room. I don't spare the pictures that I studied earlier a second glance.

Coming back to the living room, I bypass Zuko in the kitchen on my way to the exit. He must have heard me go by, because he drops the dishes that he had been washing in the sink. I reach for the door, but all of the sudden Zuko's next to me, grabbing my wrist. I look up and glare at him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks me, raising a brow.

The audacity! Does he think he can stop me from leaving?

"Why do you care?" I growl. "You can't stop me."

Zuko's eyes flash. "I might not be able to, but I think _that _can," he says slowly, pointing out the window.

I walk toward it and look out. A view of the parking lot shows me my car. It's completely covered with snow. As are the rest of the vehicles on the lot. Snow also falls from the sky, the flakes large. It's not very fast, coming down at a slow pace, but it's pretty steady. I clench my teeth.

I turn back to Zuko, who stands by the door, arms crossed, giving me the 'I told you so' look. I scowl and walk to him.

I reach for the door again. Out of the corner of my eye I see his hand move to stop me, but I quickly pull the door open. I step out into the corridor. Feeling his eyes on me, I turn my head slightly over my shoulder, murmur "Thanks for everything", and walk away.

Scowling, I make my way to the exit of the apartment building. I feel angry. But I also feel... hurt. Why does he have to act like that?

But more importantly, why do I care?

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm leaving for vacation in a few days, so this will be the last chapter for awhile. So see you guys next chapter, and thanks again!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

When I come out of Zuko's apartment building, I'm surrounded by a field of white. Snow is everywhere. Luckily, I remember where I parked my car the night before.

I quickly make my way to my vehicle, wiping off some of the snow before I get. I hop in and start it. I briefly glance in the rear view mirror. Snowflakes are circled around the top of my head like a crown; it almost makes me smile. Then I remember how mad I am.

I angrily turn on the wind shield wipers as I think about what happened between me and Zuko. I'll never understand how it didn't affect him at all. How he can just wave it away with his hand, while I sit here embarrassed and upset.

I bite my lip. What would my father think of this? Or Gran? No doubt they would be mortified. I mean, I know Zuko; I work with him practically everyday. But sleeping in the same house as Zuko- an enigma, co-worker, and a man with his own set of deep, personal problems and secrets would be seen as extremely improper and inappropriate by my family. And if my brother ever hears about it, I'll be dead.

And again, he's my co-worker. Practically my boss. He's second in charge next to Iroh. I'm sure I've overstepped some employee/boss boundary...

I'm about to back my car up, but then my phone beeps. I let go of the wheel and look at it, skimming the contents of the text. My classes are canceled due to the weather.

It's both good and bad that I don't have class today. Good because I can spend more time on the wedding, and bad because I was hoping school would distract me. But even if could go, I would only be distracted for a short amount of time, seeing as I still have to go to work, which means I'll be seeing Zuko again.

Sighing, I pull out of the parking lot and make my way home. The roads are pretty bad. Most of the snow has been plowed, but the ground is still icy and slick. Driving in the winter makes me nervous, especially because of what happened to... to my mom.

When I get home, I immediately make my way to my computer. The venue for the wedding still hasn't been decided, but I have a few places in mind. I'll have to call Suki later and tell her what I think. She'll trust my judgment, so hopefully we'll be able to have a place set today.

I scroll through images of churches, parks, and other locations. I find one garden that looks a lot like the one at the Bei Fong residence in Gaoling..

Toph! I have to call her back... I completely forgot. I rummage around in my purse until I find my phone, turn it on, and call her number.

* * *

Even before I walk into the entrance of _Uncle Iroh's_, the smell of tea hits me. I take a deep breath as I open the door and I smile. It never gets old.

As I make my way to the back rooms so I can put my things in my locker, I notice the lack of customers. I take a peek into the restaurant. It's completely empty. Walking to the back of the store, there aren't many people shopping, either.

I walk through the door into the hallway specifically for employees. I first check myself in with my card, then throw my things into my locker. I quickly put my hair into a ponytail and go. Iroh's door is closed, so he's either out in the store, or doesn't want to be disturbed.

As I make my way back to the front, I see a few other employees that have the same shift. They stand around in groups of twos or threes, conversing. I don't blame them for not doing their regular jobs; there's practically no one here.

I walk by a slightly larger group and notice Iroh talking with the others. I get his attention with a small wave, announcing my presence. He smiles and waves me over. I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to intrude on the conversation, but Iroh's expression tells me that I'm welcome.

The circle moves slightly to make room for me. Everyone says their greetings to me. I look around at the faces. Everyone seems aloof and uninterested, as if they'd rather be somewhere else. My guess is that the weather mixed with the lack things to do is bringing down everyone's mood.

The circle remains quiet. Then, Iroh turns to me and says, "So, how are you on the lovely day, Katara?"

A few others groan and mutter complaints at Iroh's mention of a 'lovely day', saving me from being put on the spot. Iroh frowns at everyone's unhappiness.

"C'mon, Iroh," says a redheaded employee to my right. "Why don't you just close up? The weather's terrible, and no one's here!" she complains.

Iroh chuckles. "Where's the spirit in that?" he asks. "My store will be open, rain or snow or shine," he tells us.

I'm surprised that the gloomy skies and heavy snow isn't getting to his mood like the others. That's something we have in common. We get this type of weather all the time at the South Pole. My tribe thrives in it. I myself don't mind it much either; it reminds me of home.

I silently watch as Iroh laughs and jokes around. It seems like nothing can bring him down. I admire that about him, his love for life and the simple things in it. Like tea, for example.

It's such a contrast to his nephew. Zuko wouldn't be caught dead smiling and laughing like his uncle. You would think that after all this time, Iroh would have rubbed off on him. Clearly, he hasn't.

I stay with the group for awhile and chat. I notice a few more customers leave, and a few more come in. The indifferent air in the room hasn't changed, though.

I try not to glance around the shop as one of my co-workers tells a story that I'm not too particularly interested in. But, boredom sets in and I unintentionally tune out his voice. Then:

"Don't you think so, Katara?"

I snap out of my daze as I hear Iroh address me. "Hmm?" I say as my face heats from embarrassment. Everyone laughs, which causes me to turn even redder.

"Why don't you go start another checkout?" Iroh suggests, chuckling. He motions to the front of the store where a lit up box tells me that there's only one cashier at the moment. I can't refuse my boss, so I nod and do as he says. I'm a little peeved that they all laughed at me, but I know that Iroh means no harm by it.

I walk past the check-out that's currently in use and take the one right behind it, not bothering to look at who's manning it. I go behind the station and turn on the light and start the computer. I enter punch in a few numbers into the system and I'm in. Now, I wait.

For the first five minutes, I stand alert and ready for a customer. But then, my back starts to hurt from standing so straight, so I slump my shoulders forward a bit. Feeling very bored, I let out a loud sigh.

So does the person at the checkout in front of me.

My head snaps up as I study the other worker. Deja vu hits me as I stare at the lean back of a man. The pale skin on his neck and black shaggy hair tells me that it's Zuko.

I immediately blush as I see flashes of this morning in my mind. I shouldn't be so surprised to see him. We do work together.

I wonder if he's purposely ignoring me. He must have seen me walk by, and my sigh was anything but quiet. I want to say something, but I have no idea what that something would be.

Zuko stands straight and tense, as if he can tell I'm watching him. Obviously, his pride keeps him from turning around. He won't give me the satisfaction of knowing I have unnerved him.

I keep my eyes trained on his green clad back, but boredom sets in again. Eventually, I lean against the counter, my head propped up on my hands. I watch as a customer walks up to Zuko's station. He silently scans the few items, quietly tells them the price, and takes the money. With short goodbye that we employees are required to give, the customer is gone.

I sigh again, wondering if I'll die of boredom before I get out of here. Face still in my hands, I close my eyes and think about my conversation with Toph.

After a slight interrogation from my friend as to why I hadn't answered my phone( "You _always _pick up," she had told me), we talked about her stay with her parents. She said it was a little rough when she got there. Her parents had been a bit angry at their lack of communication, but they got over it and then resumed their worrisome nagging. So, she confronted them about it, (surprisingly) told them how she felt, and now their relationship is better. Not perfect, she told me, but better.

I'm completely happy for her. Toph's relationship with her parents is one of the most troublesome things in her life. But it also reminds me that soon, I'm going to have to be completely honest with my family, too. And it terrifies me.

There are some things I haven't told Toph, either. When she asked about my late response to her call, I simply told her that I had been busy, completely leaving out the part where I stay overnight at my co-worker's apartment. And even if neither of us mentions it again, she'll still be able to tell that I lied...

"Excuse me?" I hear and I open my eyes. I immediately stand up straight when I see a customer in front of me. "Are you open?" she asks, waving to her cart full of groceries.

I smile and nod. I steal one last glance at Zuko's back. I shake my head, trying to rid my thoughts of him as I help the customer.

* * *

I walk to the back room, noticing that most of the employees have left the floor. We have about three hours until closing time, and there's no one in the store. I walked away from my station after shutting everything off, but Zuko had stayed. I guess he's fine being alone.

Once I'm in the back room hallway, I make my way to the lounge. Before I'm even at the door, I hear voices. I open the door and peek in. Probably all of my co-workers are in there, standing in groups, talking and laughing.

Like before, I'm a bit hesitant to join into any conversation. But then one of the workers that I had talked to before waves me over, and I gladly join the circle. I listen as someone says that Iroh has decided to close early, due to the lack of customers. And the weather.

Everyone else smiles in delight at the prospect of being done with work early. One jokes about how he'll get a few more hours for his beauty sleep. I laugh along with everyone else. As chuckling subsides, I notice the door open out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head slightly to watch the door slowly open. A tall figure with black hair steps in. Zuko.

His expression tells me nothing, but I can tell by the way he looks around he room and stays in one spot that he's nervous. Intimidated, almost.

I inwardly laugh. This is one side of Zuko I've never seen before. He lacks his cool confidence that I always see him with. He looks down at his feet as he quickly shuffles across the room to a corner. Once he's there, Zuko leans against the wall, facing everyone else with his arms crossed. His eyes do anther survey of the room. When his eyes land on me, I think I see them widen slightly. But then I know I imagined it when his golden orbs narrow the slightest. Is he glaring at me? I quickly turn my head away to be free of his scrutiny.

I secretly glance at him a few minutes after he comes in. Zuko doesn't talk to anyone, and vice versa. It makes me wonder how he's so content with just being by himself. I almost feel... bad. A part of me wants to go talk to him so he'll have some company, but my conscience tells me that it's not such a good idea. And judging my his cold expression and tightly crossed arms, he probably wouldn't think so either.

As Zuko stands quietly by himself, an idea hits me. I excuse myself from the group and walk out of the room. I swear I can feel Zuko's eyes on me, so I go faster. Once I'm out, I go to the lockers. I open my own and grab my things out. Others come in and grab their things and leave as I take out my phone. I suppose I can leave too, since the store's closing early. But I have something to do first.

A few minutes later and a quick text to Suki, I find myself knocking on the door to Iroh's office. He tells me to come in, so I open the door to see his smiling face.

"Leaving?" he asks me. "I'm sure you've heard the news."

I smile and nod. If I want to ask him, it's now or never. I walk forward and stand next to his desk. Iroh looks up at me expectantly, probably know I want to say something.

"So, Iroh," I say nervously. I don't quite know why I'm so intimidated to ask him this. "I wanted to invite you... and Zuko... to my brother's wedding next Saturday," I say, then bite my lip.

Iroh strokes his beard, contemplating the invitation. "Are you sure? We wouldn't want to intrude," he says.

I smile and nod. "You're completely welcome," I tell him, giving a small smile.

"Wonderful!" he says. "I do love a good party. And this would be the perfect opportunity for Zuko to get out and mingle!" Iroh exclaims. His expression then turn serious. "Between you and me, I've been a bit worried about him lately. He needs some friends. People to show him how to have a good time."

I nod. My thoughts exactly.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter: The wedding!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

When I wake up, I give a huge sigh in relief, then smile. It's finally here.

Sokka and Suki's wedding.

The last two weeks have been beyond hectic. Planning a wedding is definitely _not_ an easy task. There were some problems, but I pray that today everything will go smoothly.

The only problem I had with wedding preparations was with the florist. A stubborn, grumpy old woman who said that she couldn't help us because we needed a consolation, which should have been planned way before the wedding. But, after a long, persuasive talk, I got her to (reluctantly) agree to help.

I throw on some clothes, wake up Toph, and together we leave our apartment. We have meet Suki and the other girls at the salon in half an hour.

Once we get there, Suki and the others bridesmaids- two of her friends from Kyoshi Island- are getting their hair and make up done. I join them, but Toph is a little reluctant. She's against the idea of some one pulling on her hair in vain attempts to beauty her (Toph's words). But when I tell her that she needs to either sit in the chair, or have me strap her to it, she complies.

Once I'm done, I look in the mirror and give a small frown. I don't normally use this much product on my face. But for Suki, I'll go with it. My hair is in a stylish bun on the back of my head, with little braids weaving into it. I like it. I look over at Toph,whose hair is the same way. She's already in her dress, the one that we went and picked out last week with Suki and the other girls.

"You look so pretty," I say to Toph, and her cheeks redden with a blush. She waves my comment away with a hand, but not before mumbling a thanks.

I then go change into my own dress, a strapless, dark-blue number that reaches my knees. Toph didn't take too kindly to the dress at first, saying she's rather have something green, but I think that it was a good choice. I slip on my shoes, which to my dismay, are heels. I know that falling down will be in my future.

With the other bridesmaids dressed and ready to go,we help Suki into her dress. It's simple, with few beading on it, but it's beautiful. Sokka won't know what hit him when she walks down the aisle.

I check the time. The wedding starts in an hour and a half. I need to get over to the church and make sure that everything is in place.

The church that we picked out is perfect. It's small, but the inside has the most beautiful stain glassed window behind the altar. Once I'm inside, I immediately look for my dad and my brother. I find them huddled in the aisle, my dad fixing Sokka's tux. I walk up to them, immediately enveloping my brother in a hug.

"Wow, Sokka," I say, grinning, "you sure do clean up nice."

He laughs as I pull away to hug my father and says, "You don't look too bad yourself, sis."

My dad leans down and whispers in my ear. "You look beautiful, sweetie."

I hug him even tighter. "Thanks, Daddy."

After a small chat, I walk around the area to make sure everything is ready. Most of the guests are here already. I'm surprised at the turn out. Suki and I had to get the list ready right away and send out the invitations as quickly as possible. I didn't expect this many people would come on such short notice.

As I look at the guests, I notice that Iroh and Zuko aren't here yet. I frown. Iroh told me that they would come, so I shouldn't be worried. But Zuko's unpredictable; he might have refused the invitation.

I check time again. Suki and the girls should be here, so I should get into place. I make my way to our meeting point, a small back room on the other side of the building. I walk into the room to see Suki sitting in a chair, with the Kyoshi girls rubbing her shoulders. Toph's off to the side looking uncomfortable. She looks like she might cry. Or faint.

I walk forward and pull Suki up into a hug. "Nervous?" I ask her.

She breathes deeply and manages to respond. "Yeah," she says quietly. "And a bit scared."

I pull back and look her in the eyes. "Don't be," I tell her. "It's supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Sokka loves you, and so do the rest of us." I pull her into another hug. "We're _so_ _happy_ he found you," I say sincerely.

Suki sniffles. "Thank you. Thanks you_ so much._" I pull back and we smile.

Then, Toph ruins the moment by saying, "Alright, that's more enough sappiness for one day."

I glare at her, then turn back to Suki, who has tears in her eyes.

"No crying," I saying, waving a finger for emphasis. "Unless they're tears of joy."

She wipes her eyes and smiles. "Alright," she says, "I'm ready."

I hand Suki her bouquet, and we walk out of the room, me holding the train of her dress. We make our way to the doors at the beginning of the aisle, where Suki's father waits there for her.

We get into our order, me being second to last with Toph before me. The groomsmen will walk down the aisle with us, but they are lined up on the other side of the doors. Once everyone is set, the music starts.

The two Kyoshi girls go first, each paired with one of Sokka's groomsmen. Then Toph goes.

Then, it's my turn.

But as I step forward, Suki clips me on the arm, a worried look on her face. "Wait, Katara, there's something you need to know-"

I wave her words away and smile, then walk through the doors. The first thing I see is an outstretched arm, ready for me to take it. As I look at the owner, though, my heart stops.

It's Aang.

He smiles at me, and I falter, but gain back composure as I take his arm without a thought as I remember where I am, and we start down the aisle. My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts.

Aang's here. And he's walking me down the aisle.

I don't look at him. I smile, trying to look happy and excited, but it's forced. How I look on the outside is the complete opposite of how I feel at the moment.

How could they not tell me? I feel hurt, betrayed; just like when Sokka and Toph planned Aang's surprise visit. How could they think that I would be okay with this?

The walk down the aisle seems to take forever, but as soon as Aang and I hit the ending point, I immediately drop his arm and hurry to my place, and Aang goes to is. I look at Sokka, who smiles at me, but all I do is glare back. He gives me a confused look, but there's no time for conversation. The guests stand up, and Suki appears in the doorway.

She looks absolutely beautiful. And happy. She smiles, trying not to cry as her dad walks her forward. I look back at Sokka, whose smile practically takes up his whole face. He stares, entranced by the sight of his wife-to-be. In his eyes I can see love. True and pure. And it makes me forget about my anger. A real smile comes to my face.

As Suki and her father reach the altar, she kisses her dad on the cheek, hands me her bouquet, then takes Sokka's hand. Together, they step towards the pastor, and he begins.

The ceremony isn't too short, or terribly long. As Suki and Sokka say their vows, though, I almost tear up. I can tell that every single word they say to each other is truly heartfelt.

And, before I know it, they are pronounced married. The pastor tells Sokka that he may kiss the bride, so he promptly responds with, "Don't mind if I do," then kisses Suki. Everyone laughs, then the clapping begins as my brother and new wife turn to face the crowd. The thundering applause goes on for some time, then begins to subside. The guests then begin to make their way out of the church and to with reception venue.

As they file out, Iroh catches my eye by waving at me. I smile and wave back, glad to see him. I wonder if Zuko came. Iroh must know what I'm thinking, because then he points behind him, towards the exit. I look, but I can only see a head with shaggy black hair walking away. It's Zuko, though. I know it is. And for some reason, the assurance that he came makes me smile even more.

The wedding party stays to take pictures. I know this means that I'll have to take one with Aang, and I'm not excited about it.

We take a bunch of pictures as a group, then Sokka and Suki take theirs. Then, I have to take my own with Aang, as Maid of Honor and Best Man. I frown as the photographer pose instructions, not wanting to be any closer to my ex-boyfriend. Though, I am happy to find that standing next to him, just being _around_ him, doesn't bring up any old feelings. I've told myself that I'm completely over him, but now I know that I am. We don't touch as the photos are taken, and when they are done, I immediately walk away towards Toph.

We watch as Suki and Sokka pose with each others parents, Toph notices my unhappy demeanor.

"Lighten up, Sugar Queen," she hisses lowly.

"Like you should be talking," I say back and cross my arms.

Toph snorts. "Did you really think that he wouldn't be here? C'mon, Katara. Be real. He's Sokka's best friend. He's _our _best friend."

"He's no friend of mine," I mutter as Toph leaves me. Pictures are done, so everyone is getting ready to leave. And I have no choice but to follow.

* * *

It takes an hour to get to the reception hall. Surprisingly, it wasn't very hard to book, though it was kind of costly.

I had come in yesterday with a few others to decorate it. The dinner area looks fantastic. It has a mix of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom decor, and I know that Sokka and Suki will love it.

I walk into the waiting area, where drinks and hors d'oeuvre are being served. We still have awhile until dinner, so I mingle. As I talk with my grandmother, I see Toph walking around, so the rest of the wedding party must be here, minus the bride and groom.

When it is announced that dinner is ready to be served, everyone makes their way into the dinner area, finding their seats. I, along with the rest of the wedding party go to the head table in the back of the room. We sit in our order, so I, being the Maid of Honor, sit next to Suki's on her right side. Toph sits at my right, with the two Kyoshi girls on her right. On the other side, it's the same with the groomsmen.

Because the bride and groom have not made their entrance yet, the two chairs between Aang and I are empty, bringing back my unhappy feelings from before. I try to distract myself from hm by looking around the room.

My dad, grandmother, and close family friends are sitting at one of the tables nearest to the had table. Suki's parents and friends sit at table next to them.

All of the tables are spread out in circle around the dance floor. The deejay I hired is setting up his equipment in one of the corners of the wooden dancing area. Suki and Sokka must be coming soon. I can feel the anticipation in the room.

I do not know quite a few of the guests that Suki invited. I suspect that most are from Kyoshi Island. I look around for some more familiar faces, and spot Iroh and Zuko walking into the seating area. An usher is showing them to their table, one that's a few tables away from my family's.

It's the first time I've actually seen Zuko today. I mean _fully _see him, seeing as looking at the back of his head doesn't count. He wears black dress slacks, a red dress shirt with a black tie, and a black jacket over top. I roll my eyes; he obviously likes the black-and-red color scheme. His apartment is definitely a sign of that.

I'll admit it; he looks handsome. Even though it irks me to say so.

Finally, everyone is seated, and it's time for Sokka and Suki's entrance. Music starts as the deejay announces the couple's arrival. They appear from a side door to my right. They walk in and everyone cheers and claps.

My brother and sister-in-law join us at the table. I hug Suki when she sits down. She turns to me, looking worried again.

"Katara, listen," she says quietly, "I'm sorry about Aang, and-"

I stop her. "We don't have to talk about this now, Suki," I say. "Besides, it's fine."

She smiles again, seeming reassured. But we both know that it's _not_ fine. Not at all.

Besides, it's her wedding day. She shouldn't have to deal with that today. I think of what Toph said. Aang is and will always be apart of our group, no matter how much I dislike it.

I suppose it's time to stop being selfish.

The deejay starts to announce the bridal party. I put my smile back on as I am announced. I stand and wave, feeling a bit uncomfortable being in the spotlight. I can tell there are many eyes looking me and the others over, but I can only really feel one.

My eyes drift over to where Zuko is sitting. To my odd dismay, he's not even paying attention. The waiter is at their table, asking him and Iroh for their orders. It's funny; I swear I could feel Zuko looking at me.

As the starting course for dinner is served, Aang makes his speech. Short, sweet,and meaningful. I try not to look like I'm irritated when he talks, but I am. Then, Suki's father does his speech. He talks about Sokka; how he's happy that his daughter found someone like him. He even throws in the story of when Sokka and Suki visited them, and Sokka got two fishhooks in his thumb. It earned lots of laughter.

Then dinner is served. I really got lucky with picking a caterer. The woman is so nice about everything, and she is very expensive. Plus, the food's great.

When mostly everyone is done eating, Sokka and Suki make their way to the dance floor for their first dance. The lights go down as the music begins. Thankfully, Aang left his seat, so I'm not stuck in the weird position like before. I talk Toph for a bit, but our conversation falls flat. She isn't really in a chatty mood right now.

The dance ends, and then it's Suki's father's turn to dance with his daughter. During this, my dad comes over to talk to me.

"I'm so proud of you," he tells me. "You did such a great job. Everyone loved the ceremony, and all the decorating you did is beautiful." My dad smiles so bright, you'd think he's the sun. "Your mother would have been proud of you, too."

My hands goes to my necklace, rubbing the smooth blue stone. The other bridesmaids (minus Toph) decided to wear fancy jewelry, but I couldn't forgo my mother's necklace. Especially on such a family-oriented day.

"And where is Aang?" my dad asks. "He should be with his date." He gives me a pointed look.

My heart begins to race. Dad still thinks that Aang and I are together. Out of the corner of my eye I see Toph shake her head, disapproving my lies.

I guess it's time to tell him. It'd be better than figuring it out later by himself, or having someone else tell him.

"Dad, listen," I say, my tone serious, "Aang and I aren't-"

"Sorry Kat," he interrupts. I hear my grandmother call his name. "I'm needed," he says apologetically, pointing to the table with the cake on it across the room. "But we'll talk later. Promise." and then he's gone.

I sigh, and Toph turns to address me. "At least you tried," she says, shrugging.

"Yeah, well, he's going to find out when he realizes that Aang and I don't talk to each other. Or dance," I say, defeated.

I sigh again. I look across the room to where my father is. He's talking to my brother and Suki. They must be getting ready to cut their cake. I clip Toph on the arm and we walk over together.

People are crowded around the table,excited to watch. The bride and groom cutting the cake always turns into something comical when they start stuffing it into each others' faces. I just pray that Sokka doesn't ruin Suki's dress.

And he doesn't; but it Suki isn't deterred by anything and promptly shoves a slice into his face, eliciting a laugh from everyone. They share kiss, then someone else takes over to cut the rest of the cake for the guests.

I volunteer to help pass out the slices. Taking a few pieces, I cross the room to pass the out. I eventually get to the table where Iroh and Zuko sit at. Except Zuko's not there.

I set a plate down in front of Iroh, then debate whether or not to put one by Zuko's spot.

"You can just leave one for him," Iroh says, knowing what I'm thinking. Again. How does this man do it?

"And where _is _Zuko?" I question.

Iroh sighs. "He's around here somewhere."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. For a moment, I had thought that Zuko left. But, hearing Iroh's words and seeing Zuko's discarded jacket on his chair assures me that he stayed.

"If you don't mind me asking, did something happen?" I say. Iroh sighs again.

"My nephew got a bit worked up from a conversation we had. I suggested something that he didn't take too kindly to, and he walked away."

My face must look worried, because he quickly adds, "He does it all the time. Zuko just needs some time alone to think."

I sit down and chat for a bit. Iroh, like everyone else, compliments my work on the wedding. And I'll admit it; I feel proud. But I don't want all the glory of it. Just seeing Sokka and Suki's happy faces is enough.

I thank Iroh for coming, and then make my way to talk to my grandmother. On my way, I spot Zuko. He leans against the wall on the other side of the room, arms crossed. I think his eyes are closed. It reminds of that day at work. He looks casual with his red sleeves rolled up to his elbows and head back, but I can tell that he's probably ready to bolt out of here. One thing I've noticed about Zuko is that social gatherings aren't really his thing.

I see his eyes open and glance around the room. Then they land on me.

Time seems to stop as we both look at each other, frozen in our places. Then, I raise my hand, giving him a tentative wave. All he does is nod back.

For some reason, I'm angered. I turn my head away and resume going to my grandmother. What did I expect? That he would just come over and talk to me? Zuko's not that social.

My grandmother is talking with Sokka and Suki. Well, mostly just with Suki. Sokka appears to be out of it, teetering slightly. I walk up to his side.

"Really, Sokka?" I say. "Getting drunk at your own wedding?" I reprimand him, gesturing to his drink.

"I," he slurs, "am certainly not drunk."

I scoff. Suki laughs. "Oh really? Then why are you slurring your words?" I ask.

"It's not slurring," he says, defending himself. "I'm speaking cursive," he tells me matter-of-factly. It earns a laugh from all of us.

After I mingle some more, I grab a glass of champagne and head back to my seat. A piece of cake is set out for me. I stab my fork into it, taking a bite as I watch the dance floor.

I've always been shy about dancing in front others; it makes me uncomfortable. It's kind of a good thing that I don't have anyone to dance with.

A slow song then starts, and I down the whole glass. I set the glass down and sit there, swirling my finger around the rim of it, thinking that if some things had gone differently, _I _would be out there with the other couples.

Then a pale hand comes from the right of me. Startled, I look up and my eyes lock with golden ones. Zuko.

The look on his face is one I can't figure out. He stays there with his hand outstretched to me. But he doesn't have to say anything. I know what he's asking.

And it occurs to me that I'm seeing a side of Zuko that's completely new to me.

The vulnerable one.

And it's because he looks so _handsome _and _vulnerable_ that I can't say no. So I take his hand and stand up.

Zuko leads me to the dance floor, and in the moment I forget all about my adversity to dancing in from of people. He stops at an open space then turns to me. Hesitantly, he slips his hand around me to rest lightly on the small of my back, and I place my hand on his shoulder. Then Zuko takes my free hand into his own. His hand is warm and slightly calloused, but his touch is soft and gentle.

I duck my head as we sway to the music, trying to hide my blush. I can only imagine what people are thinking. Especially my family. I turn my head and catch sight of Sokka dancing with Suki.

Sokka now appears to be completely sober and he's giving Zuko the I'm-going-to-kill-you look,and Suki just raises and quizzical eyebrow at me while holding Sokka back. I don't bother looking for my father's reaction. I know I'll be interrogated later.

I glance back at Zuko, who for once appears to be as flustered as I am. How odd we must look, dancing together but not even looking at or acknowledging each other.

Why did he even ask me to dance?

_ Why did I accept?_

Well, if he's not going to say anything, I guess I'll have to. But what to say...?

"So, ah, thanks for coming," I say and his gaze snaps back to me.

Zuko rolls his eyes. "My uncle was very... enthusiastic about coming," he rasps.

"Oh," I reply, feeling slightly defeated. _So he only came because of his uncle._

An awkward silence takes over, and I look down.

"You look nice," Zuko blurts out quickly, and my head snaps back up. His cheeks are slightly pink, but his eyes are intently focused on me.

His gaze makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I manage to reply, "You, too."

We go back to silence. Zuko's still staring at me, and I feel my cheeks heat up again. There's nothing really left to say. So I do something bold.

I step closer to Zuko and lean my head on his shoulder, my profile facing his neck. My conscience go crazy. He immediately tenses. I feel him relax a moment later, and I even think I even feel Zuko's hand on my back pull me closer.

My friends and family are probably fainting are probably going berserk, seeing me like this with a man they don't know. But I don't care.

I hear Zuko sigh. Then, I feel his cheek again the top of my head. My heart skips a beat and I smile. I turn my head slightly against Zuko's shoulder and look at our joined hands, his large, pale one next to my darker, more delicate one.

And it just looks... it just _feels_...

All too soon, the song ends. I'm the one who pulls back first, but our hands still linger slightly. I step back and give Zuko a small smile.

"Thanks... for the dance," I say. Then I walk away, leaving Zuko alone on the dance floor.

I take a deep breath and put my hand over my heart as I walk away. It beats frantically, and I will myself to calm down. It was just a dance. Right?

I make my way to the bathroom, almost tripping from my shoes. I walk in and stand at the sink. My face is red, and my heart is still going fast. I take slow steady breaths.

The door flies open. Toph walks toward me with a drink in her hand, an amused smirk on her face.

"So," she says. "When were you going to tell me about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?"

I try to be coy. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_," Toph says, getting impatient, "exactly what I said. Who was that guy?"

"Just a co-worker," I reply, but when I blush, again, Toph's eyebrows raise.

"Uh huh," she scoffs. "Didn't look that way." I give her a pointed look. She sighs and leans against the sink next to me.

"Your brother looked like he was about to explode," she finally says after a moment.

I laugh. "I know! Thank goodness for Suki."

"Yeah, Twinkletoes was almost crying from laughing so hard from the look on Snoozle's face."

She chuckles, but I only laugh slightly. So Toph had been with Aang.

Silence again. Then:

"What's his name?" Toph asks me.

I immediately blush and bow me head. "... Zuko." I reply.

She sighs. "Well, we should probably go. I'm sure people are wondering where we are. Plus," she says s we make our way to the door, "I need to go meet this 'Zuko'."

I gasp. "Toph!" I say, grabbing her wrist. "_Please _don't," I beg her. The last thing Zuko needs is to be harassed by my best friend. She turns back to me, grinning mischievously. But when she sees the pleading look on my face, she sighs loudly.

"Fine," she says, defeated. The she crosses her arms and pouts. " You're no fun," she mutters, but I smile anyway. We walk out and join the party again.

* * *

When Toph and I get home, it's extremely late. We stayed after and cleaned up, and now I feel like I could sleep for ten years. Thank goodness for weekends.

The wedding had been a success. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that it's over. Everyone had a great time, and Sokka and Suki were so happy.

After our conversation in the bathroom, Toph stayed with me the rest of the reception. Eventually everyone left, with only a few stragglers left behind (mostly those who were drunk). I also managed to get out of the place before my family could jump me with questions.

Sadly, Iroh and Zuko left before I could say goodbye. I still feel like I should have, but I had been preoccupied and didn't notice until after they were gone.

I crawl into bed after changing out of my dress. The last thing I see is Zuko's face before I fall asleep.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter wasn't supposed to be out this early, but I was so excited to write it. I hope you enjoyed!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

"Are you sure, Sugar Queen?" Toph asks me for what feels like the hundredth time.

"Yes, Toph. How many times to have to tell you no for you to accept it?"

"Jeez. No need to get snappy."

I roll my eyes. Toph's about to leave for Earth Rumble VI, a popular wrestling tournament held in an underground arena.

I bought her the tickets in repay of her coming the Halloween party with me. I bought her two tickets, thinking that she would want to take someone else, but apparently that person is me. I objected, though, saying that watching men butt heads isn't exactly my idea of fun.

"But it's your birthday," she had told me.

"Yes, and you took me out to lunch to celebrate," I reminded her.

It _is_ my birthday, but I don't want everyone making a huge fuss about it. Toph had accused me of planning to get everyone away on my birthday so I didn't have to celebrate. But, it just turns out this way, that Earth Rumble VI and Sokka and Suki's honeymoon occur on my day.

It's been a week since the wedding. Sokka and Suki left a day after it for their honeymoon on Ember Island, a resort in the Fire Nation. I haven't talked to either of them since they left, but they'll be back in a couple of days.

I don't mind being alone of my birthday. I don't need a party, seeing as I'm still exhausted from the wedding.

"Last chance, Sweetness," Toph says as she nears the door.

"I'm fine, Toph," I say with a wave of my hand. "Go have fun."

And with that, she leaves, and I'm all by myself.

Toph won't be home until really late, so have awhile by myself. I might as well busy myself, otherwise I'm going to be plagued by boredom within five minutes.

I get off the couch, and head to the kitchen.

* * *

I decide to go big on cooking my dinner. It is my birthday, after all. I make a plethora of Water Tribe dishes, all from my mom's recipes. Plus, I make her strawberry cheesecake. It's practically required.

I stir a pot of sea prune stew, letting my mind wander off. And lately, it's been drifting to a certain something. Actually, _someone._

Zuko. Ever since we danced at the wedding, I can't stop thinking about him. No matter what I do, I can't get him out of my mind. Almost every night, I replay that dance in my mind, trying to sort out my feelings.

Seeing him at work everyday doesn't help, either. One small glance while passing by each other would make my stomach flip flop. I had even started to look for him at the university,hoping to see him in the halls or at the library. But, he was no whereto be seen. When we did happen to see each other at work, we didn't really talk at all, though. I had begun to wonder if he's avoiding me. Or, maybe I'm avoiding him.

I pull the spoon out of the pot and taste my stew. As I add some spices, there's a knock at the door. I tilt my head in confusion. Who could that be? Toph's away, as are Suki and Sokka, and my family's in a different nation. I'm not even going to mention Aang.

Setting the spoon off to the side, I leave my soup on the stove and walk out the kitchen door. The knock comes again as I pass through the living room and to the entryway. I open the door, and have to blink a few times to know if what I'm seeing is real.

Hands in his pockets with an anxious look on his face, Zuko stands in my doorway. I look him up and down, from his casual jeans, white shirt with a black hoodie over top, to his shaggy hair that makes me want to run my fingers through it. I watch him do the same to me, and when we lock eyes, I blush.

Shaking my head lightly to rid the shock, I try to form some words instead of standing here staring at him.

"Hi."

If Zuko wasn't in front of me, I would have slapped myself. _Smooth, Katara. _

"Hi," he replies, and silence takes over once more. I look at him and wait. He's got to be here for a reason.

Zuk blinks, then pulls his hands out of his jeans to take something from his jacket. "Um," He starts, "I have your paycheck. You left before my uncle could give it to you yesterday."

He holds the envelope out to me, and I take it, muttering my thanks. Our fingers brush and it sends shocks up my arm. Zuko doesn't leave, though, and I don't close the door.

"Um," I say. I look back to the kitchen where my food waits. "Would you, erm, like to stay? For dinner?" I ask, my heart beating frantically as I await his answer.

"Oh, um," he stutters, rubbing the base of his neck with his hand, "I don't want to disturb you."

I give him a small smile. "It's fine. There's no one else here, so some company would be nice," I say, trying not to sound eager, but failing. Zuko looks dubious.

"And, you know," I say with a small shrug, "it's kind of my birthday."

I wait again as he thinks over my offer. "Sure," Zuko says with a nod, "I'll stay."

He walks into my apartment, and I close the door. He takes off his jacket, leaving him in only a white t-shirt that's tight to his form. I try not to blush at his defined muscles, mumbling, "You can throw that on the couch," and turning my head to the side. He sets his jacket down, then surveys his surroundings.

My apartment isn't nearly as large as his. Though it is clean, it's not as posh as his. Embarrassment courses through me as he scrutinizes where I live. But why should I care what he thinks of it?

I lead Zuko through he kitchen door, and immediately rush to the pot sitting on the stove. I hope I didn't ruin it by leaving it too long. I quickly stir it, making sure it's not burnt. I feel Zuko's eyes on me as I work. I turn and glance at him. He leans against the counter top, watching me intently.

"Uh, if you want, you could get some plates out," I offer, pointing to a cabinet next to him. Zuko nods and does as I say. I then deem the stew acceptable and move to help set up. I set out some glasses as I instruct him as to where the silverware is.

When everything is set, Zuko sits down at one of he chairs next to the table in the center of the room. He waits as I bring some of my food over. I set a piece of seasoned fish on his plate, then mine and sit down in the other chair.

I watch Zuko as he looks from the fish, then to me, then back to the fish, a skeptical look on his face. I raise an eyebrow.

"What?" I say. "Never seen seafood before?"

He gives me a glare. "Of course I have, I've just... I've never had good experiences with it," he grimaces.

"C'mon," I say, smiling. "Just try it."

Zuko picks up his fork, cuts a piece off, then hesitantly puts it in his mouth. He watches me the whole time. His eyes widen as he tastes it, then swallows. I smirk; he likes it.

"It's... pretty good," Zuko tells me. Then takes another bite. "But, it could use something..." he says, and reaches for the pepper shaker.

"Oh no," I say quickly. "No way. It doesn't need that."

Zuko gives me a look. "It's not spicy enough," he reasons, almost in a whine, and moves to tip the shaker over his plate.

"Zuko..." I warn him seriously, pointing a finger. "Don't you dare."

Mischief flashes in his eyes as he tips it over slowly, his face remaining serious as the pepper falls.

I burst out laughing, all seriousness gone. He flinches at the outburst, then does the unexpected.

Zuko laughs with me.

His laugh is quieter but musical. Boyish. And it's not one of his condescending chuckles either. It's genuine, real laughter. I've never seen Zuko laugh before. I've never even seen him truly smile. But, here he is right next to me.

Gaining my composure back, I push another dish toward him. Then another. I make him try everything, and I can tell that he enjoys very bite.

"Wow," he finally, "you're a really good cook."

I blush at his compliment. "I learned everything from my... from my mom," I say, feeling sadness tug at my heart. I had made all of Mom's favorite dishes.

It's quiet for a moment. Then Zuko says, "Um, the wedding was really nice."

I smile at him, grateful for a subject change. "Yeah," I say, "everyone had a great time."

_I know I did._

"The groom was your brother?" he asks me conversationally.

I roll my eyes. "Yup. Sokka," I reply. "He's an idiot. But I love him. And his wife's a good friend of mine; she keeps him in line," I chuckle.

"What about you?" I the ask.

Zuko gives me a questioning look.

"Your family," I amend. "What are they like?" I think of the pictures from his apartment.

Zuko's eyes immediately darken and he glances away. "They aren't much of a family," he mutters dryly, and he touches his scar. His family must be a _very_ sore subject.

I want to ask him so many things as it becomes quiet. About his family, about him. Why it pains him even to mention some of thee things.

_I want to know him._

"Zuko..." I start. "How did you get your scar?" I ask quietly, gently.

He looks at me, and I can see struggle among pain in his golden eyes. He doesn't say anything.

"_Please_," I ask him.

I see his eyes soften at my tone. Taking a deep breath, he starts.

"My father is one of the most powerful and influential men in the Fire Nation. He owns one of the largest and most prosperous companies the nation has ever seen. When I was thirteen, he decided to start my training so I could eventually become CEO one day. He brought me with him to his office, to his meetings, teaching me everything I needed to know.

"I took it very seriously, wanting to be the best that I could be. My father eventually had a very important meeting come up, and I begged him to take me along. So he did," Zuko stops. I gesture for him to go on.

"He instructed me not to say anything at that meeting, but I did. I couldn't help but share my opinion on a certain matter. And I'll never forget the look he gave me.

"A day later, my father had two of his lackeys jump me while I was alone, on my way home from school. And they did this," he tells me, pointing to his eye.

"But he might as well have done it himself," Zuko says, voice broken and full of pain.

"My father doesn't tolerate failure, and I had failed him."

I take it all in silently, completely shocked. How could a father do that to his child? I'm appalled and affronted by Zuko's story.

"Zuko-" I start, my voice gentle.

"Ozai kicked me out of his home, making my sister the heir to the company. I went straight to my uncle, and he took me in without hesitation. He's more a father to me that Ozai ever was," he says. I can hear the love in his voice as he talks about Iroh.

"And your mother?" I ask after a moment.

Zuko looks me in the eyes. "She's gone," he replies, voice hard.

"I'm so sorry," I tell him. I reach for his hand, but he pulls it away.

"Don't be. One day I'm going to make _him _sorry by taking over his company," Zuko says, determined.

"Is that what your sister was talking about that day in the store?"

He nods, looking surprised. "You heard that?"

"Every word," I confirm. "No offense, but your sister is-"

"Evil? Condescending? Obnoxious?"

I chuckle and say, "In a charming way, of course."

Zuko chuckles too. He then stops abruptly and looks down. I do the same, and notice our joined hands. I blush as Zuko runs his thumb over my knuckle.

I quickly pull my hand away and stand up. "Dessert?" I ask him. He responds with nod, becoming stoic and aloof once again.

I walk over to the counter and cut two pieces of cheesecake. I take my time, mulling over what Zuko told me. No wonder he acts how he does. It all makes sense now.

I just wish I could take away the pain.

I walk back over with two plates in my hand. Zuko's gaze is intense as he watches me set the plates down.

"Strawberry cheesecake," I say, gesturing to the dessert. "Special recipe."

I watch as Zuko takes a bite, hoping that he likes it. He chews, eyes going wide again. I laugh as he quickly takes another bite. His expression immediately turns into one of puzzlement. He turns to me just as I take a bite of my own.

"Lemon?"

I choke, eyes going wide. "What?" I ask him, incredulous.

"You put lemon in this," he tells me. "Not a lot, but it's still there," he confirms, sounding like a food critic.

I'm speechless. My mouth opens but no words come out.

"Excuse me," I say hastily. "I'll be back."

I practically run out of the room into the next. I stop in the hallway to my left, and lean against the wall. My heart beats faster and faster.

Zuko guessed the secret ingredient.

The only one to ever get it right.

"What does it mean?" I whisper to myself, breathless. The only people to know what it was are me and my mom. Now, Zuko does too. No one else could get it right.

Except for Zuko.

I begin to make my way back to the kitchen, to apologize to Zuko for my abrupt exit, but I stop next to a small table against the wall at the end of the hall way. It holds a picture of my mom.

My beautiful, selfless, caring mother.

Who's gone.

I hold the picture tightly with both hands and look up into the mirror that hangs on the wall in front of me. I look at my reflection, a copy of my mother's.

And her blue eyes. In the picture, she's smiling, but her eyes are the brightest feature.

In the mirror, though, mine are full of sadness. I close my eyes and choke back a sob as a tear falls down my cheek.

A moment later, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump, startled. I open my eyes and look into the mirror. Zuko stands behind me, a worried and bemused expression adorning his features. We lock eyes in the mirror as another two more tears fall. He then looks over my shoulder at he picture I hold in myI hands. His eyes widen slightly as he studies the picture. He look back up at me in the mirror.

"How did it happen?" Zuko asks me quietly.

I sniffle. "Car accident," I say. "Drunk driver. She was killed instantly."

"I'm sorry."

I can't deny that it feels good to talk about my mom to someone. For years, it's been killing me. I spin around so I face Zuko. I don't try to hide my sobs anymore.

"I loved her _so much_, Zuko. I just wish I could see her again," I confess.

Zuko's eyes soften, and in them I can see understanding. Then, his arms are suddenly around around me, my face against his chest. I clutch Zuko's back and sob into his shirt. His arms tighten, keeping me glued to him.

"I'd give anything to see my mom again, too," he tells me quietly.

I bury my face into the side of his neck, taking deep breaths. When I realize the position we are in, I pull back. I try to step away, try to put some distance between us, but Zuko doesn't let go. He keeps his arms around me, and I put my hands on his chest. I look up. I didn't realize how close our faces are. I feel his hot breath against my skin and I shiver.

A stray tear falls down my cheek as I stare into Zuko's eyes. I can define the way he's looking at me.

My sadness momentarily forgotten, I blush and look down. I feel one of Zuko's hands leave my back. He cups my cheek gently, using his thumb to wipe away the tear. His fingers move to my chin, pulling my face up and forcing me to look at him. His eyes flicker from my lips to my eyes as he leans closer.

Zuko's lip brush against mine ever so slightly in a whisper, like he's asking permission. He doesn't make another move, testing me, seeing if I'm okay with this.

But I don't think; I throw everything to the wind as I pull his facing down to me, crushing my lips to his in an actual kiss. I close my eyes. Warmth spreads through my body as I snake my arms around his neck, weaving my fingers through Zuko's soft hair. Zuko cups my cheek again and deepens the kiss.

A moment later we pull away, breathless. He leans his forehead against mine, breathing softly. I open my eyes slowly to see that his are still closed. Seconds later, the open, and the look he gives me makes my insides melt.

I smile at him shyly through my lashes. And then, he smiles too. It's a small one, but it's a smile no less. And seeing that, everything makes sense.

_I like Zuko._

I want to laugh and cry out in joy at this new revelation. But instead, I lean my head on his chest. I listen to his heart beat fast, then slow down into a steady rhythm.

We stay like that for who know how long, then I pull away.

"How about we get back to that dessert?" I ask him casually, as if nothing had just happened between us.

Zuko smiles again. "Agreed."

He takes my hand in his and and together we walk back to the kitchen.

* * *

Zuko and I stay in the kitchen, eating and talking about anything and everything.

Well, I do most of the talking. He just sits and listens with a look on his face that makes me want to kiss him again, but I refrain.

All too soon the time comes for him to leave. I walk Zuko to the door slowly, trying to make our time together last. He opens the door, but before he walks out, he turns to me and pulls me to him. Zuko kisses me lightly, but it sends shocks up and down my body.

"Happy Birthday," he whispers.

I smile as he pulls away, giving me one last look before he leaves.

I close the door, spinning around and leaning my back on it. I close my eyes as I smile again and giggle. What has gotten into me? I giggle again like a lovestruck fool.

This is _definitely_ one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

* * *

**A/N: Finally! I've been waiting the whole story for this chapter. You guys probably have been, too. I hope you enjoyed!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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